Personal Approaches to Dying
When we begin the gradual dying process our personality doesn’t change, it intensifies. If we are an angry person we will get angrier. If we are a gentle personality we...
Something to Think About: a blog on end of life
Gradual Death is an Opportunity
There are very few dying 101 classes to tell people what it is like to die. In fact, few people are comfortable enough to talk about death even when they...
Mrs. B's Story
This was put on my web site by an anonymous donor. I think it is a beautiful story about relationships. How we touch each other and are interconnected in ways...
Death: Gradual or Fast
There are really just two ways to die: fast or gradual. Fast death occurs quickly by way of an accident, a heart attack, a stroke or suicide. A person is...
I Work With Dying People
I wrote this poem one day after seeing two particular patients. One was a woman in her 40's who was working through the anger of not being able to see...
Linda's story, an RN Supervisor from AR
Linda, an RN living in Arkansas, is sharing her story with us. I remember Michael so clearly because of his last wish and how the hospice team helped to make...
The Emperor's New Clothes
Someone asked me to write about “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” At first I thought it was a prank, and maybe it was, but the question made me wonder how the...
Nancy's Story, Harry and Lila
I had the pleasure of spending three days with a man and his wife. We’ll call the man Harry and his wife Lila. The days were spent mainly feeding Harry,...
Kim and Joan's Story
The following story had been written by one of our Excela Health Hospice nurses, Kim Kistler. I had read it about 2 years ago and always remembered it as such...
Loretta, a longtime Hospice nurse, now in Florida
I had a hospice patient who was a retired builder and lived in the country. Two days after I began taking care of him I also began taking care of...
A story from Nancy, a Hospice nurse in Florida
I think it’s a great idea to share stories and learn from each other. I learn something new with every case. It’s funny, because nobody but a hospice nurse truly...
The Death Rattle (medically known as Terminal Secretions)
The death rattle is not always present. Those people that have more fluid or are more hydrated as they approach death, are the ones most likely to experience this natural...