Sydney reader Sue Reid has written a testimonial of A Good Death, available through Murdoch Books.

This book has been of great use to my family as we reorganised mum (aged 90 years) and dad’s (aged 91 years) affairs over the past year. Their will was over 10 years old and several things had changed for them over the past few years such as selling their family home and moving into a retirement home.

As we think about the next few years and several different possible scenarios, we realised we needed to get them to re-do their will. Some of my siblings did not think this was necessary or was it too much trouble? I realised mum is losing capacity and there was urgency to get this done as soon as possible. The definitions of ‘frailty’, ‘the frailty index’ and ‘capacity’ in this book, enabled me to have these conversations with my siblings. It wasn’t just me (as the ‘bossy’ older sister) suggesting these things, but many times I could quote the book.

We used the book to go through the checklist: will, enduring power of attorney, advanced care directive and a substitute decision maker. I lent the book to a work colleague who was having trouble with her siblings as they navigated putting her mother into a nursing home. Similarly, she found the book was most helpful in assisting her to raise sensitive topics with her siblings and she could show them suggestions in the book.

I also lent the book to a 50 year old friend who has been diagnosed with a progressive neurological condition and needs to get his affairs in order while he still has ‘capacity’. The book enabled me to have a difficult conversation with him and his wife and make some suggestions to them of what they need to do. Chap 9: to organise his will, enduring power of attorney, advanced care directive, and a substitute decision maker.

I am sure as we do navigate the years ahead with the inevitable death of our parents, the book will be ‘worth its weight in gold’.

Have a listen as I discuss ‘A Good Death’ on Weekends 89.3 FM recorded in 2019.

Listen to this ABC Life Matters where I chat with Hilary Harper and Michael MacKenzie on getting comfortable with death after the book’s release in 2019.

A Good Death: a compassionate and practical guide to prepare for the end of life, will soon be available in North America, thanks to an agreement between publishers Murdoch Books and American publishers Quarto.

The book, which is already available in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, China, will go on sale in the USA in bookshops from 7 April 2020.

This will make purchase easier for our American followers of Good Grief! For more on Quarto’s listing, go to: https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9781911632146/A-Good-Death.html?direct=1.