To Have a ‘Better Death,’ Play With These Cards

Sandy Chen Stokes Wants Everyone to Talk About Their Own Mortality

How can you get people to talk about what they would like the end of their lives to be like?

Here’s one technique I’ve used: get them to play cards.

For many years, I’ve drawn on my experience as a medical professional, and as an immigrant, to help elderly Chinese Americans and their families reckon with the challenges of death. And I’ve come to believe that the lessons from our work apply not only to other Americans but also to other societies and cultures around the world.

I first came to the …