Something to Think About

Knowing what is happening reduces fear. Knowing what you can do at the bedside helps you be present. Barbara explains how families can move beyond simply watching to  create meaningful...

The body gives us clues when the dying process begins. Learning to recognize changes in eating, sleeping, and socialization can help you understand what is happening and know when it's...

When someone you love no longer responds, it can feel frightening. Let me show you the simple, comforting care that still matters in the final days before death.

I watched my mother nod as her doctor explained her lung cancer. She looked like she understood, but neither of us did. Medical language can be confusing, especially when the...

When a dying parent refuses to tell the rest of the family about a terminal diagnosis,  should you keep the secret or encourage open conversations?

Most people don't know what to do or can do in the final hours before death. Here are gentle ways families and caregivers can create a meaningful goodbye and bring...

Food becomes a major concern for families when special person is dying. This article explains why the body naturally stops eating and how caregivers can respond with less frustration.

Years ago, a 3 a.m. hospice call changed the way I thought about caring for families at the bedside.It led me to write down what I wanted families to know...

In the final days and hours, a person may “wait” for someone to arrive—or let go when everyone is out of the room. Hospice nurse Barbara Karnes, RN, explains the...

Guilt is part of love’s shadow — the echo of what we wish we’d done differently. Healing begins when we release that burden and let how we live now be...

Most of us imagine dying will be quiet and peaceful, but real dying often looks different. Nothing bad is happening — the body is doing the natural work of letting...

Relationships are challenging. We don’t always get from them what we want or need. As death comes, the yearning for what we didn’t get or have with this person increases...

It is hard to comprehend that our special person will die no matter what we do. No matter how many treatments, how much medicine, or how much food we give,...

Why do we hang on to life so desperately? Because it is all we really know. Yes, some of us have spiritual beliefs, that talk of “another life."

Doctor’s office visits for health issues are scary, often confusing, and too often complicated with medical terms we don’t understand. And we are generally ill or have health issues that...

First, there is no perfect relationship. Life is a learn-by-trial adventure. It’s hard work, not always smiles and happiness.

It will never be “okay” for someone we care about to die, to leave us. We will always want those we care about to stay in our lives...

Death from disease and old age doesn’t just happen. There are signs and changes that begin occurring months before death arrives. You can use those signs as a reference indicating...

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...

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...

All the hours of talking, drinking coffee, and eating homemade pies was time spent healing, building trust, and educating. It wasn’t about blood pressures. It was about people, feelings, and...