No one should have to die in pain. Medical people have the means to make people comfortable during the death process. But sometimes it takes an advocate to make things happen.

My dad had been in an excellent nursing home for nearly ten years. The nurses and assistants who cared for him were wonderful. I visited daily. My sister drove in from out of town each week, to visit. He had good care. But when it came to convincing the doctor who walked through monthly, or the Physician's Assistant who...