Finish Strong

Putting Your Priorities First at Life's End (SECOND EDITION)

By: Barbara Coombs Lee

Narrated by: Barbara Coombs Lee

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The guide to achieving the positive end-of-life experience you want and deserve, this second edition of Finish Strong by Barbara Coombs Lee, the President Emerita/Senior Adviser of Compassion & Choices, features valuable new material, including a new chapter called "Race and Culture Matter;" an Afterword by Kim Callinan, the President/CEO of Compassion & Choices; and a detailed index for the book.

It's hard to talk about death in America. But even though the topic has been taboo, life's end is an eventual reality. So why not shape it to our values? Finish Strong is for those of us who want an end-of-life experience to match the life we've enjoyed. We know we should prepare, but are unsure how to think and talk about it, how to live true to our values and priorities, and how to make our wishes stick.

The usual advice about advance directives and conversations is important but woefully inadequate. This book describes concrete action in the here and now to help live our best lives to the end. Finish Strong will guide you through:

• Finding a partner-doctor to honor your values and beliefs with humanity, deference and candor.
• Identifying what matters most as vigor wanes and stating your priorities.
• Having meaningful conversations with doctors and family about expectations and wishes.
• Staying off the "overtreatment conveyor belt."
• Knowing when "slow medicine" is the best option to maintain quality of life.
• Navigating hospice, the ultimate healing experience.

Written with candor and clarity by a nurse, physician assistant and attorney who became a leading advocate for end-of-life options, this book can help you Finish Strong.

©2019, 2022 Barbara Coombs Lee (P)2020, 2022 Barbara Coombs Lee

Grab your tissues

Not an easy listen, especially if you’re prompted by wanting to help a loved one at the end of their life. But you’ll be very grateful for the information, especially the stories shared, and honestly you probably need to cry anyway. I did. We’re so bad at facing this stuff and this book is a really practically useful tool. I’m glad to have it and will share it with others — but it’s still hard to look directly at the fact that we’re all gonna die. Like staring at the sun, it’s so present and intense but not something you can take in all at once without a filter. This book is like a filter to help you look straight at death, because as one of the chapters says it’s not gonna kill you to talk about death (but it sure does feel like it might!). I’m especially grateful for the specific prompts, suggestions about how and when to have this conversation and literally what to say. Exactly what I needed. My one critique is that it often sounded like the author was about to cry reading the stories which didn’t make it any easier (but maybe that’s not terrible, maybe it’s easier to cry when you have someone else to cry with - I don’t know).

Really should read this one...take it from me...

I am an estate planner/attorney and I deal with the topics discussed in this book all the time with my clients... You must do so also... Read the book and use the tools sprinkled throughout... You and your family will be better off at the end of a life...