Crossing Over

Abstract The revised edition of Crossing Over is a book of stories—narratives of giving and receiving palliative care in the context of end of life. It is not a textbook that portrays ideal palliative care or that prescribes specific management techniques. Instead, it presents stories of actual patients and families who have experienced terminal illness with the support of hospice or palliative care teams. The narratives are derived from a three-year, qualitative, ethnographic study of the experiences of patients, families, and caregivers. Since the first edition of Crossing Over appeared, changes have occurred in healthcare and in society at large that have altered the environment in which people give and receive palliative care, including effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis, changes in social welfare policy, the rise of the internet, the evolution of palliative care as a field, increased emphasis on advance care planning, and, in some jurisdictions (including all of Canada), legalization of medical aid in dying. The Authors’ Comments following each narrative pinpoint specific decisions and choices of patients, families, and clinicians where today’s changed context may be particularly relevant.