Most people say they would like to die quietly at home. But overly aggressive medical advice coupled with an unrealistic sense of invincibility results in many elderly patients misguidedly dying in institutions while undergoing painful procedures. Through experience with his own parents and patients Dr. Harrington, a Harvard College and U of Wisconsin Medical School graduate, has developed specific steps for patients and their health care proxies to ensure last days pass comfortably at home and/or in hospice, when further aggressive care is inappropriate. His work as a patient safety officer representative to the Johns Hopkins Medicine Board of Trustees and his service on the board of a nonprofit hospice in Washington D.C. fueled his passion for helping aged patients make appropriate end-of-life decisions.