10 Interesting Facts About Why People Dream About Dying Well

What most older adults desire is to die well. This is often a reflection of their wish not to be a burden on their families after a long period of illness. The saying goes, “There are no filial sons in a prolonged illness.” If a person is bedridden for months or even years, it becomes unrealistic to expect filial piety from their children. Therefore, if living well was once a key consideration, these days, dying well is emerging as a new topic of discussion.

From “Well-being” to “Well-dying”

Previously, the emphasis was on well-being or living well. Now, the concept of “well-dying” is gaining attention. It involves ending one’s life gracefully and peacefully, preparing in advance to provide a meaningful conclusion to life and support for bereaved family members.

Dying Well Should be Perceived as Happiness

Dying Well is conceptualized similarly to “good death” or “dignified death.” It represents organizing one’s surroundings while preserving one’s dignity as a human being who shares social, physical, and mental aspects and ends life with a peaceful mind. It is essential to accept and embrace the end of one’s life without relying on mechanical devices and to finish life in a valuable and comfortable manner without pain and suffering.

Increase in Signatures to Stop Meaningless Life-sustaining Treatment

The ‘Life-sustaining Medical Decision’ is a system that allows patients at the end of their life to stop or refuse treatments such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, blood dialysis, and artificial respiration. Anyone can register an advance directive to discontinue life-sustaining treatment when they are healthy, and patients at the end of their life can express their unwillingness to receive life-sustaining treatment to their treating physician. If you are considering dying well, reviewing an advance directive for discontinuation of life-sustaining treatment could be the first step in accepting death.

There are Countries with Good Quality of Death

Which country has the best environment for people to end their lives comfortably? It’s the United Kingdom. Quality of Death measures the effectiveness of a medical system in alleviating pain for terminally ill patients and aiding families in coping with psychological distress. It ranks countries based on the availability of hospitals for end-of-life care, the quality of treatment, and national support for such care. The UK ranks first, followed by Australia and New Zealand, with South Korea ranking 18th.

Emergence of Eco-friendly Funeral Methods

This trend towards dying well has also influenced funeral methods. Eco-friendly funeral methods have emerged for the sake of the earth and humanity, as traditional methods of cremation and burial are said to cause environmental pollution. Eco-friendly funeral methods exist in various forms, such as tree burial, human composting, and bio cremation. Tree burial is a method of burying the bone dust after cremation in tree roots, which has the advantage of solving the problem of grave shortage and efficiently utilizing the land. Human composting is a method of decomposing the body into soil, which has recently been legalized in the United States. Bio cremation is a funeral method using a chemical reaction caused by adding alkali to water at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It is characterized by almost no ash production.

Accepting Death Well

Everyone ages and eventually faces death. Despite our efforts, death is inevitable. To overcome the fear of death, it is crucial to meet the transience of life and realize that it is our fate to face pain and death. It requires accepting the present moment, thoroughly enjoying life while it lasts, and preparing for an uncertain future.

Switzerland, a Country Where Euthanasia is Legal

Switzerland fundamentally allows euthanasia with the help of a doctor. The Netherlands also allowed euthanasia in 2002, and Canada has passed a euthanasia law through its parliament. The criteria are stringent, demanding informed consent from the patient and family in incurable diseases or unmanageable pain cases. In Switzerland, where assisted dignified death has long been legal, numerous organizations help in this process.

Experience the Process of Dying Well in Advance

The so-called “dying well program” helps middle-aged and older people, who have longer lives due to extended life expectancy, prepare for death and instill a sense of psychological stability, enabling them to prepare for old age appropriately. You can leave a will, create your tombstone inscription, leave a record of sorting out your life, and even actually enter a coffin, the space of death.

Write an Autobiography and a Bucket List

Writing a small autobiography while reflecting on the last moments of your life can be helpful as a part of dying well. It involves thinking about what you’ve always wanted to do and creating a schedule for the remaining time. It’s also good to decide how our assets are in advance, and there’s an advance need to determine your funeral procedures directly through an advance funeral directive.

Do Your Best Every Day

If you live each day to the fullest, you can reduce regrets. When we focus on doing our best today rather than on regrets about the past or anxieties about the future, our lives can become more affluent. How about creating a happiness note, recording only the good things that happened each day?

By. Jeon Shin Young