What Really Matters Most at the EOL

In this article, BJ Miller, whom is now a physician, shared that he's been on both sides of the doctor-patient relationship, and how an almost fatal accident was the beginning of  his relationship with death.  

BJ's story is very powerful.  You see, in college, he and some friend thought it was a great idea to climb atop a parked commuter train.  However, when BJ stood up, an electrical current entered his arm, blew down his legs, and then out of his feet, which resulted in the loss of both legs, around the knees.  

The journey to physician - hospice and palliative doctor - began with his experience in the healthcare system, which is designed to treat diseases, and not people.  

This brought BJ to want to encourage others to shift their perspectives about EOL. 

Here are some of his thoughts on what really matters at the EOL:
1.  Tease out the unnecessary suffering out of the system.
2.  Tend to dignity, by way of the senses, the body, the aesthetic realm (which is design).
3.  Set our sights on well-being, so life, health and healthcare become  more about making life more wonderful, rather than just less horrible.
4.  Become patient-centered, not disease centered - a human centered care model.
5.  Caring becomes a creative, generative, even playful act- the whole person.
6. Create spaces that allow life to play itself all the way out, so that dying becomes part of the process.  

Just think, if we as a society, transformed how we experienced EOL, we might begin to shift the narrative to just how profound and beautiful these events can be.  

What Really Matters Most at the EOL