Cover photo: Dr. Dawn Gross and her family in the KALW studios. “Death” is a subject that doesn’t come up in many conversations. Most of us instinctively turn away from such morbid thoughts. All of us will die some day. Yet, thinking about death, planning for the end of life is just too difficult. But what if the unthinkable were to happen? What if a sudden illness or crisis happens that leaves you incapable of making your own decisions? For the first time ever, Medicare is now encouraging physicians to have these conversations with their patients, before the crisis happens. JoAnn Mar has this report on Advance Care Planning—conversations for the end of life.