Denial of a Life Limiting Illness
Denial by the person with a life threatening illness, denial by the caregiver, and I’ll even add denial by some attending physicians. Denial is often the reaction to diseases that have...
Something to Think About: a blog on end of life
Approaching Death
Caregivers Need Knowledgeable Guidance
...That caregivers put so much energy, time, love, and concern into taking care of their person that they can become blind to or just plain don’t want to see the...
Keep No Secrets From Those at End of Life
When working with families who ask me not to tell mom, I say that I won’t bring the subject up, but if she asks, I will talk about it.
“We’ve done the best we can and we can’t fix you...”
Someone has to have the courage to say “We’ve done the best we can. We can’t fix you. Let us help you have some quality time”.
How the Body Prepares to Die
Our body is programmed to die. We are born. We experience, and then we die...
Being on the Receiving Side of Hospice
Once we get up the courage to call hospice, we want to see you immediately. Actually, we needed to see you, hear your guidance and advice, and receive your services yesterday. Families...
The Physician - Top of the Pyramid In Healthcare
The physician is frontline, the top of the pyramid in healthcare. All care follows from there. The physician can set the tone for the entire patient experience.
The Difficulties of Being Discharged From Hospice Care
Why is the patient being discharged, you ask? Is it because the patient just didn’t decline as rapidly as expected? Yes, that can be the situation...
There may not be another time... Teach.
The role of any end of life worker is to begin teaching immediately, on the first visit -- teaching about approaching death, what to look for, and what to do. That’s...
Movies make dying look comfortable. What do you do when it’s not?
Our role models from movies and TV show us that dying is gentle, often poetic, certainly not scary or messy. Movies make dying look comfortable.
Caregiver Fear and Frustration When Food Is Rejected
As caregivers, we want so much to do the “right thing” for our special person. We know death is coming but still try to do all we can to stop...
When Our Emotions Blind Us From What Is Happening
I knew all the signs of approaching death, of labor beginning. What I didn’t know was how much we don’t want to see those signs, and by not wanting to see them,...