Many of us have spent years crafting what we would consider “the good life” for ourselves. But few of us have probably taken the next step and begun to craft what would be considered “a good death.” In fact, thinking about the end of your life is, for most of us, a taboo topic. Yet, there is a “good death” movement afoot in our society, and for those of you who can summon the courage, it’s worthwhile understanding what this means.

In a recent article in Shape magazine, writer Kelsey Ogletree examines the “Death Wellness” movement currently taking hold. Not only have “death doulas” become a resource but there are now “Death Positive” organizations, such as The Order of the Good Death, which advocate for principles to frame how we think about and plan death, and in that way, how we better lead our current lives. For example, such death positive tenets include the notion that hiding death and dying beyond public view causes more harm than good and that family should be involved in caring for their own dead. There is also a strong push to ensure that there is open and honest communication about preferences and wishes so that individual desires about death and dying can be honored. Furthermore, the Global Wellness Institute recently issued a report called “Dying Well,” which describes our changing culture around death discussions and practices, including protecting our “death choices” the way we have protected and shaped such other life milestones as birth and marriage. The report also highlights the current distaste for medicalized deaths hidden in lonely hospital rooms and the radical re-thinking of funerals that is taking place.

Moreover, there’s increasing evidence that if understood, more and more of us would welcome palliative care as our life approaches its end. In a recent survey by the Center to Advance Palliative Care, 80% of those surveyed said they would choose the symptom control and pain relief of palliative care at the end of their lives. What that tells us is with better public education and advocacy, many more could attain a “good death.” However, Palliative Care physician Dr. Richard Leiter, in a recent New York Times Op-Ed, warns that in our goal of crafting a “good death” we may not always realize what’s entailed or what burdens our loved ones will bear, especially if we want our deaths to take place at home, as most of us seem to desire. Leiter warns that we must focus not only on “where” our death should take place, but “how”- which could mean at home with hospice- or could mean in a supportive medical environment, where symptom management may be better dealt with and families could have the expert and supportive back-up of professionals. In the end (no pun intended), “dying well” means, more than anything, understanding the range of options and what will meet the personal wishes and needs of yourself and your loved ones.