Margaret Rice spent six months caring for her dying mother before she passed away from a terminal illness at the age of 88. Then, tragically and just eight weeks later, her brother died suddenly in a motorcycle accident. Margaret realised how unprepared she and her family were for the multitude of emotions they were about to experience. The loss of her mother and brother left Margaret with many unanswered questions she felt were too minor for the doctors and counselors to answer and yet she was unable to find them herself. Margaret went in search of the information and decided to help those in the same position by writing the book - a novice's guide to death. Advancements in healthcare, alongside our determination to lead healthier lives, has enabled us to live far longer than in the past, yet we still live in a period of death denial. Today, the population in the UK is getting older with 18% aged 65 and over, and 2.4% aged 85 and over, which means many people are not experiencing the death of someone close to them until well into their forties or even older into their adulthood. Margaret believes we should be changing this attitude so that we can practically prepare for how to deal with death and how to meet it when out own time comes. In A Good Death, Margaret Rice confronts the taboo by asking the difficult questions to help us to better navigate this most fundamental and inevitable experience. She shares practical information and provides compassionate advice to break down the boundaries and offer better choices of care to suit individuals needs.
