Peace or quiet: Communication is key to dying with dignity - Get your last wishes in writing, patients' families say.

Shut out: Medicare guidelines help bar patients from hospices - Government may require short lifespan, forgoing of treatment before agreeing to pay.

The residence factor: State policies determine care for the dying - See how they vary.

Fear unchecked: Few U.S. adults take steps to outline death - Scripps survey reveals majority of Americans have not taken legal steps to ensure their dying wishes are respected.

Settling up, state by state: Guidelines dictate structure of living wills - What you need to make it legal, and where.

Credits: Papers, news service contribute to project - E. W. Scripps Co. reporters, editors from across the country helped with Last Rights.

Finding the right words - A look at silence, denial and the difficulty of language when it comes to death.

Reshaping bedside manner: Doctors work to intensify connection with dying patients - Medical associations, schools focus on ethics.

Separation of powers: Advocates battle states over physician-assisted suicide. - Oregon is still the only state to legalize physician-assisted suicide, but advocacy groups continue to struggle for patients' rights to die.

Preparing for death: Seeing that your dying wishes are respected

Cheating death: Evaluating lifesaving treatments - Experts say patients, families should ask: Will these treatments simply prolong dying or actually affect the underlying disease?

Resources: Help for developing a living will