How Do You Grieve a Violent Death?
Sudden death by accident, suicide and certainly by violence intensifies those normal grief responses. Everything we feel with normal grief is as if we are being held under a magnifying...
Something to Think About: a blog on end of life
Guilt
We've Just Begun Social Distancing~ Here Are My Thoughts
Isolation from others is teaching me this about my self ——- I do a lot for others, for their thoughts of me, why else do I wear makeup? Get dressed?...
MOM IS DYING and There's So Much Blame
I'm sorry to say when a family member is dying it can bring us together and be our finest hour as a family or it can bring out the worse...
Would She Still Be Alive?
It sounds like she was given morphine to ease her transition from this world to the next. Not knowing your grandmother's medical history I cannot say if the morphine was...
"One Lone Tear", Dementia at End of Life
The guilt, frustration, uncertainty, and helplessness of family caregivers is as much a problem to our healthcare system as the patient with dementia...
Developing End of Life Expertise
You have to walk the walk before you can talk the talk. Learn from your patient/family interactions. At the same time read everything you can get your hands on...
An Unpleasant Memory of Dad's Care
I am sharing this letter and my response because this family is not the only family that has carried memories, sometimes for years, of situations that occurred as their loved...
SOCIAL WORKERS: I want to be like you when I grow up
This is the story that came to mind when I decided to write a blog for National Social Work month. Social work, to me, is about saying the right words...
My Personal Integrity Was Wounded Tonight
When hospice began it was outside of the medical model. It provided end of life care based on quality, not quantity, of life. It recognized when physical healing couldn't be...
Purpose, Forgiveness and Meaning at End of Life
What is the aim of a life review? As a caregiver my aim is not to direct a life review but to be a presence, a listener, and a friend....
WHY NOT HOSPICE? A Reluctance To Refer
If the signs are there, get the referral and let a hospice professional determine if Hospice is appropriate. Three things I look for to tell me if it is time...
The Balancing Act of Caring for the Dying
For healthcare professionals it is often a balancing act to care for patients and then deal with the sense of futility that is triggered when they are doing their job......