Something to Think About

When we begin the gradual dying process our personality doesn’t change, it intensifies. If we are an angry person we will get angrier. If we are a gentle personality we...

There are very few dying 101 classes to tell people what it is like to die. In fact, few people are comfortable enough to talk about death even when they...

This was put on my web site by an anonymous donor. I think it is a beautiful story about relationships. How we touch each other and are interconnected in ways...

There are really just two ways to die: fast or gradual. Fast death occurs quickly by way of an accident, a heart attack, a stroke or suicide. A person is...

I wrote this poem one day after seeing two particular patients. One was a woman in her 40's who was working through the anger of not being able to see...

Linda, an RN living in Arkansas, is sharing her story with us. I remember Michael so clearly because of his last wish and how the hospice team helped to make...

Someone asked me to write about “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” At first I thought it was a prank, and maybe it was, but the question made me wonder how the...

I had the pleasure of spending three days with a man and his wife. We’ll call the man Harry and his wife Lila. The days were spent mainly feeding Harry,...

The following story had been written by one of our Excela Health Hospice nurses, Kim Kistler. I had read it about 2 years ago and always remembered it as such...

I had a hospice patient who was a retired builder and lived in the country. Two days after I began taking care of him I also began taking care of...

I think it’s a great idea to share stories and learn from each other. I learn something new with every case. It’s funny, because nobody but a hospice nurse truly...


The death rattle is not always present. Those people that have more fluid or are more hydrated as they approach death, are the ones most likely to experience this natural...

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...

Perhaps you’ve heard it said: Having a loved one with dementia is the long goodbye. We lose the person we know long before their body dies. As with all terminal...

Each person is unique so there is no sure formula for when to talk about end of life issues but here are some ideas to consider --- Everyone has the...

Visualize a table in front of an open window. There are stacks of paper on the table, tidy, organized stacks. A slight breeze comes through the window and rustles the...

Our seasonal holidays are here and for those of us who have had loved ones die this year the holidays will be a particularly challenging time. Something to think about:...

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...

It will be our time to die. When the doctors have said, “I can’t fix you” it is time to reconsider what medicine can do for us. Medicine can prolong...

Beware of anyone who puts a number on how long someone has to live. There are so many factors that affect the time of our gradual death that the closest...

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...