Something to Think About

End of life care is about bonding and developing trust — not just with the patient, but with the family and the caregiver, as well...

How do we interact with someone dying a sudden death? The same way we would react with someone dying a gradual death.

The experience of dying a gradual death is an important, integral part of life. It is an opportunity to write our final chapter, to define the ending of our story...

Just as we have to go through an intensive process to enter this world, so do we go through labor to leave it.

End of life care is different from care for someone who is going to get better. Most people don’t know the difference. If we don’t provide clear information, end of...

This is a guide all would be wise to complete now (and regularly update) before the information is needed. It is a gift to those left behind...

By the time the family has mustered the courage to call, they are usually at their wit's end. They probably have needed services weeks...

Knowledge is important for the person dying because they are processing their life on many levels. It is important for the watchers because it is our final opportunity to connect,...

Today most hospices have some sort of a hospice house arrangement. It may be in a designated portion of a nursing facility or in a free standing building of its...

Working with end of life all these years has shown me how special each day is. It has also shown me the value and the gift of living, doing, and...

That weekend I sat  on my sofa with a yellow legal pad (before computers) and wrote what I wanted families and caregivers to know about the natural dying process. I...

I want to share with you some of the suggestions you have shared with me. Ideas for filling a huge space left empty by the death of someone who made...

Widows and widowers who are living alone, I have a question to ask you. What do you do with your days? 

It is hard for caregivers to know how to care for a person with dementia. The behaviors are so varied that there is no single correct way to handle a...

 90% of end of life care is education. People don’t die like they do in the movies, yet movies are our current role models. This leads to unrealistic expectations...

How about an end of the year review? Let's take some time to remember and think through our struggles, our misadventures, and assess our strengths...

Other people seem cheerful, happily planning holiday delights, and we, the grievers or caregivers, are reminded of what we don’t have, of what we’ve lost or are losing...

We need to explain the way most people die — especially the not so pretty parts. This includes the sounds, movements, pees, poops, frowns, grimaces, and the struggles that accompany...

What many, maybe even most, people do is trade that moment for a gamble on the future. We do this gambling with a lot of life occurrences. But we place...

When we see our special person struggling, we, the watchers, think something pathological is happening or we think the professionals are not doing enough to provide proper care...

We used to have role models on what dying really looks like. People died at home, in their own bed. Family and friends gathered — held a vigil, so to speak. When...