ABSTRACT
In one of his story collections, author Wendell Berry describes the case of a farmer who decides to impersonate medical personnel, in order to covertly remove his dying father from the sterile efficiency of an intensive care unit so that the old man can die at home on his farm, on his land (Berry 1992). The story is moving at many levels but it certainly also speaks to our theme of health and place. As the machines, tubes and needles prolong his life in the hospital environment, it becomes clear that dying with dignity can only happen for the father within a sense of place and belonging that is part of being-at-home.
