New Handbook Takes a Compassionate Look at Death, Dying, and the Important Choices We Make

Chicago, IL, September 24, 2007 --(PR.com)-- “From the Start Consider the Finish is intended only for those who will die someday and for those who love them,” say coauthors Susan Riker Dolan and Audrey Riker Vizzard.

Using engaging, bite-sized stories drawn from their vast professional and personal experiences, and frequently introducing humor as a means to navigate through life’s most difficult passage, this daughter and mother team manage to present a comprehensive guide packed with practical, vital information on how to die well. Simply yet beautifully written, this handbook touches on every aspect of the dying time. With compassion and deep understanding, the authors explore the physical and psychological aspects of dying and how attitudes and family dynamics affect end-of-life choices. Other subjects include the need for conversations about end-of-life care, advance directives, pain management, forgiveness, an introduction to the hospice team, the physician’s role, letting go, food and fluids at the end of life, the Last Hurrah, extraordinary events, and final arrangements.

From the Start Consider the Finish: A Guide to Excellent End-of-Life Care is a heartfelt book that provides readers with the knowledge of how a dignified, peaceful death can be achieved while offering hope and meaning to a process often filled with fear and misinformation.

ISBN(s): 1432714536 Format(s): 5 x 8 Paperback SRP: US $12.95/CAN $13.95
Genre: Death & Dying

For more information or to contact the authors, visit www.outskirtspress.com/fromthestartconsiderthefinish

Susan Riker Dolan served as executive director for a national hospice organization. She is an attorney, a healthcare consultant, and a hospice and palliative care broadcast host for satellite radio station ReachMD XM 157. “People who plan and prepare often die well,” says Dolan. “Our goal is to educate and empower people so that death will not be treated as a medical crisis but as a natural process.”

Audrey Riker Vizzard is a clinical psychologist and author of many books and articles on marriage and family life. She serves as the director of her family foundation. “Talking about death won’t kill you,” says Vizzard. “We wrote in the hope of nurturing a new generation of courageous and informed trailblazers. Our book reduces the fog of denial that swirls around the end of life by describing what actually happens and encouraging the informed choices that lead to a peaceful death.”

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