If anyone is interested, this beautiful and inspiring TED talk led me to change how I will approach end of life for myself and my parents: https://www.ted.com/talks/bj_miller_what_really_matters_at_t....

Modern hospitals are far from an ideal place to be if one has a terminal illness. They are antiseptic, literally anti-aesthetic. From my experience, the people I've known that had a terminal illness yet received extensive care up until the moment of death did not really want to receive further treatment because they understood that death was coming and would have rather died in their home or gone on one last vacation. The treatments were painful and left them barely conscious of their surroundings.

The demands that some families make can be selfish. The infirmed that I knew only went through with these treatments for the sake of their family to give them some sense of false hope, that they'd never give up fighting. It's sad to watch as I think a happier outcome could be achieved if we learn to accept the imminent fate and enjoy the precious time that is left, having the last moments with a loved one be a joyous time to cherish.

From the beeping and humming of numerous machines, the drab, monochrome interiors to the lack of windows. A patient's well being has an effect on their recovery. They would greatly benefit from a redesigned concept with this well being as one of the focal points.

If anyone is interested, here is a talk on how we can improve end of life care. It is without doubt the most inspiring and powerful presentation I've ever seen at TED.

https://www.ted.com/talks/bj_miller_what_really_matters_at_t....