Please feel free to nominate your funniest movie - one that you think will give a good belly laugh to others.

(1934) It Happened One Night

(1938) You Can’t Take It With You

(1944) Going My Way

(1950) All About Eve

(1960) The Apartment

(1963) Tom Jones

(1973) The Sting

(1977) Annie Hall

(1980) Flying High

(1998) Shakespeare In Love

And in no particular order -

There’s Something About Mary, Nothing to Lose, Gun Shy, Funny Bones, Big Lebowsky, Billy Elliot, The Full Monty, Shrek1, Zoolander, Your Friends and Neighbours, American Beauty, The Castle

Is requiring constant care and supervision undignified?

How can others assess what is often a subjective experience? It is very difficult to judge another persons quality of life other than by measuring it against that which we know and value ourselves.

For people seeking support, remember, no-one is ever going to be more interested in your situation than you are.

For those who are supporting someone through this difficult time, it will involve a physical and emotional investment from you. It is important that you prioritise and ration your energy levels.

Some strategies that have assisted others

It has been our experience that it seems that it is more helpful to focus less on what we cannot do and more on how to enable ourselves to do things that are most  important.

Although it seems simplistic to express it this way, putting things off can also increase stress. The anticipation of whatever event you are delaying may create more anxiety than you are trying to avoid.

Worrying is not the same as being prepared. Being prepared will reduce worry. Worrying is what happens when being concerned goes beyond what is reasonable or useful.

Let your friends and family know what helps you and what you need at this time. No matter how close they are to you it is unlikely that they can read your mind!

Depending on the circumstances, other members of your family may well be experiencing their own grief or worries which may limit the amount of support they can offer you at this time.

In this situation you may choose to seek the  support from someone outside of your usual support network. Perhaps a healthcare worker involved in your care will be able to assist. It is not unusual for people to find it helpful to talk to someone who is not emotionally involved in their situation.

Try not to neglect your physical wellbeing despite feeling emotionally overwhelmed.

Emotional Support

Research suggests that people who view themselves as having received satisfactory emotional support during their illness report a more positive outlook and have better psychological adjustment even as their disease progresses.

Emotional support involves communicating concern and care.

The types of emotional support that people state were  most helpful involved listening, empathising, comforting and reassuring.

Talking honestly about your particular circumstances may be very difficult for you at first. Our experience tells us that some people find themselves unable to say what is on their mind because they think that by exposing their fears they will somehow jinx themselves, that this is what will cause the next bad thing to happen. Just acknowledging to someone you trust, that this is how vulnerable you feel may help.

Providing emotional support in this situation is understanding that this may be what the person is fearing, and accompanying the person without passing judgement about whether or not this is an appropriate or helpful way of coping.

How do you balance the desire for quality of life with a desire for longevity?

How much intervention is too much?

When do all the small fixes stop making sense?

Why do people think that only those who choose to end their lives before their natural demise die with dignity?

When we think about the concept of a good death are we thinking about the very last moments of life or the time preceeding?

How do we recognise when our care and compassion leads us to avoidance behaviours?

If society has the power to keep people alive, shouldn’t we have the compassion to let them go?

What are the limitations of palliative care?

http://arts.pallimed.org/2008/05/top-10-palliative-films.html   In an endeavour to explore the creative aspects of palliative medicine the following has been listed as the Top 10 Palliative Care Films.

10.   One True Thing

9.    The Fountain

8.    Big Fish

7.    Life as a House

6.    The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

5.    The Sea Inside

4.    On Our Own Terms  (Moyers on Dying)

3.    Two Weeks

2.    The Doctor

1.    Wit

I wondered if the list would be very different if it was compiled  from an Australian perspective so I consulted the brains trust of my small group of friends and came up with the following selection. When time permits I hope to critique the selection.In no particular order…………

Magnolia

Meeting Joe Black

Love! Valour! Compassion!

Dead Poets Society

City Of Angels

Dying Young

Wings Of  Desire

Gods And Monsters

Stranger Than Fiction

Truly, Madly, Deeply

My Life Without Me

All That Jazz

Wit

Griffin and Phoenix

Dark Victory

Ponette

The Bumblee Flies Anyway

Dead Like Me

Six Feet Under

The contributors discuss the notion that we have a medical system for the dying that is as ambivalent about dying as we are ourselves. They say that what used to be termed death and dying is now under the umbrella of ‘end of life’. End of life - a subtle shift with an emphasis on life rather than death.