Something to Think About

I received a letter from a person whose chronic illness has put her at “death's door” many times over the years. She requested my thoughts on her ongoing illness and...

QUESTION: As toxins build in the body because your body isn’t working right anymore, what signs are there that you are shutting down? Stage 4 liver disease, hepatitis C. I...

QUESTION: Would you write about dying from Alzheimer's? There is a reason Alzheimer's is referred to as “the long goodbye.” From diagnosis until death it is generally a very long...

There is a saying, “Live each day as if it were your last.” It makes sense that the last day of our lives is the day we would want to...

QUESTION: Talk about dying at home, in the hospital, or in a hospice care facility. I think it is fair to say that most people, given the choice, would like...

QUESTION: “Life sustaining vs. comfort care, where do you draw the line?” This is a question everyone faced with a life threatening illness and their significant others asks themselves. We...

Many physicians are reluctant to recommend hospice. It is sad and confusing why they would not give their patients the guidance and comfort that trained hospice professionals can offer. Maybe...

When do we talk about end of life issues with others? Right now, while we are healthy and our thoughts are not clouded with fear. Right now, we can make...

Every so often a person comes onto hospice service and their condition improves. When a person’s condition stabilizes hospice takes them off the program until they begin to decline again...

Question: "I am ready to die, why haven't I?" Answer: There is a process to dying from disease and old age--withdrawal, increased sleep and decreased food and fluid intake. Part...

Terminal restlessness is a medical term for the restlessness and agitation that often begins one to three weeks before death from disease. The restlessness shows itself by random body movements,...

I, Barbara, am not afraid of being dead. I have a belief system that says “When you are dead you are in a better place.” I also think being dead...