Entering Into "Precious Time"
In our medical society today, it seems to be very difficult for physicians to tell patients and/or families that death is approaching; That this special person will die, and probably...
Something to Think About: a blog on end of life
The True Value of End of Life Support
A hospice referral is a win-win. You win if they say it is too soon and youare not appropriate for hospice care, or you win by coming onto the hospiceprogram...
Hospice Services Pulled for Dementia Patient
There is a huge void in our medical system that so many families living with dementia fall into. These families have a loved one too sick and require too much...
Supporting Survivors of Suicide Loss
Part of normal grief is all the questions we will never have answers to, the whys and what if’s? With death by suicide those questions are ten fold. With a...
Do I Want FULL CODE or a NO CODE?
Medicine and medical technology can prolong our life but not indefinitely and it is generally at the expense of our quality of living. Or we can reframe how we think...
Caring For an Elder Who Needs to Eat
The elderly, after a fall or illness, often are not much interested in eating. If there are no other health issues, they gradually return to normal eating. In the meantime...
Holiday Celebrations and the Grief-Wound
We tend to play the “elephant in the room” game at the mention of our missing loved one. “If we don’t talk about how sad we are feeling we won’t...
IF I WERE -- a funeral home, a hospice worker, an attorney, a physician, a social worker, a nursing facility...
Dying isn't like it is in the movies. We don't know what it is like to die from disease or old age and while everyone is going to do it,...
Do We Choose When We Die?
Just think of a woman in labor and what she is thinking about—-getting that baby out. The person that is dying is in labor also, working to leave the physical...
Is Mom Waiting to Come Home? FTD Dementia
Dementia causing illnesses, by whatever name we classify them, are becoming more and more prominent. Dementia, and how to care for people with it, has become a big healthcare issue...
Using "Baby Talk" with End of Life Patients
As end of life professionals we have to carefully walk a line. We are in the tenuous position of caring intimately for adult strangers who often do act as children. ...
The Reluctance to Attend Bereavement Support Groups
This is where bereavement support groups come in. Support groups are for anyone experiencing a death. The groups are not for just those people having challenges in dealing with their...