Planning for end of life when you’ve still got time left to live

Shoshana Berger (left) and Dr. BJ Miller (right)
Shoshana Berger (left) and Dr. BJ Miller (right) join MPR News host Kerri Miller for a conversation about their new book “A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death.”
Photos by Nicolas Zurcher and Todd Hido

While there’s no official guidebook to dealing with death, a new book by Dr. B.J. Miller and Shoshana Berger comes pretty close.

“A Beginner's Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death” helps people who are nearing death or in the process of grieving.

They share advice that’s both practical — like tips for cleaning up your attic — to the more pithy — like advice on how to tell someone you’re dying.

The authors joined MPR News host Kerri Miller for a conversation about why they were inspired to write this guide, and why planning for death can be more comforting than you might think.

Guests:
Dr. BJ Miller, a physician and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California-San Francisco

Shoshana Berger, a writer and global editorial director at IDEO

Related: How advanced care directives can improve end-of-life care, costs

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above.

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