Something to Think About

Death for those who work in end of life is not failureor the enemy. It is the ending of the work we do. Our satisfaction in thedeath of a patient...

In normal grieving, time begins to lessen the intensity of the emotional pain of our loss. There is a process to grief (see My Friend, I Care) and although we never forget...

First, lets define “No Code”. The simplest explanation I found was Googled from the Free Dictionary http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/no+code“a note written in the patient record and signed by a qualified, usually senior or...

We are generally very tired, physically and emotionally, by the time our caregiving is over. Our thinking processes are not what we are used to. We are tired, weepy, aimless,...

...Children and their grieving process is affected by their age and their maturity level.  We all grieve, no matter our age, but our understanding of this normal life experience varies...

First, let’s not judge a person’s grief by their words or actions. We don’t really know what is going on inside this person...

Grief is a reaction to loss. Loss equates to a death, a death of something or someone. Death comes in many ways, many forms. There is the death of a...

I wrote this post as a follow up to last week's post, The Final Hours Before Death. To: End of life doulas, in-home caregivers, hospice nurses, social workers and chaplains,...

How to let go and stop feeling guilty? At first you probably aren't even aware of your feelings. When someone close to us dies, even if we are told it...

October 15 was National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. I’ve been asked to write about the grief experienced with the loss of a baby through miscarriage or stillbirth. I...

I know “dying of a broken heart” is used frequently when death comes as a result of a tragic life event. I’m not sure that is actually why the person...

Then one day I got a phone call saying the baby was found dead in its crib---SIDS Only we didn’t call it Sudden Infant Death Syndrome then. It was just...

QUESTION: Death of a child. Why can't I move on? It seems I am stuck in pain all the time. I can’t think of any loss greater than the loss...

QUESTION: I have a few important matters to discuss and explain. How can I communicate with a dead loved one? I know Houdini tried to reach his mother and felt...

Question: My father died just three days ago. Immediately following his death, my brother (my only sibling) immediately became controlling and started excluding me from all decisions, to the level...

QUESTION: My father-in-law died a few months ago. I’m not thinking about him as much as I am thinking about my mother and brother who died years before. When we...

GRIEF AND THE HOLIDAYS I posted this blog article last year about this time and am reposting it for this year’s holidays. In our grief any holiday celebration tends to...

QUESTION: Please address the need for closure by medical professionals who work with end of life. I began working in hospice with the personal belief that death was not bad,...

Question: Talk about coping over the years after the loss of a child. I can’t think of a greater loss than the death of a child. Children are our legacy...

Questions Concerning Grief What are some of the feelings that a spouse expresses after their husband or wife passes? At first, most are just numb: they cry and are surprised...

Comment: “My son has died!” You have been with people when they die. Your book, The Final Act of Living, talks about body and spirit. How do you know? I...