Cover photo: Luca Singer, former resident of Zen Hospice Project. Modern medicine has cured diseases and brought great advances that were unimaginable a hundred years ago. The average life span has nearly doubled during the last century. While people are living longer, they’re now facing health challenges that hadn’t existed before—severe chronic illness, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. For many people nearing the end of their lives, pain relief is often not available. JoAnn Mar reports on palliative care—addressing pain and suffering near the end of life.