Have you had the talk yet?

With your parents?

The one in which they tell you what medical measures they want you to take if they become incapacitated? If you haven't, it's time to get one started. And don't just talk. Get it down on paper.

Death is in the air, and we mean that in a good way--a couple of new books urge readers to plan ahead and consider end-of-life issues--and their parents' end-of-life issues while everyone is still healthy.

Even with written orders, medical technology and circumstances have a way of taking over when a parent is ill, notes Dr. Robert Martenson, author of A Life Worth Living: A Doctor's Reflections On Illness in a High-Tech Era. And that's not a good thing for families, or loved ones.

Martenson, who has served as an emergency room doctor and a medical ethicist, helped care for his father to his death, and is now caring for his 91-year-old mother, who is ailing, and lives on the opposite coast. He talks about those experiences and what caregivers need to consider as they approach end of life in this compelling  interview  with Terry Gross.

And we're big fans of  New York Times writer Jane Brody, who has a new book out: Jane Brody's Guide to the Great Beyond:A Practical Primer to Help You and Your Loved Ones Prepare Medically, Legally and Emotionally for the End of Life.