Something to Think About

Death is not accidental. We die when it is our time to die, no sooner, no later. Everything happens for a reason. We most often just don't understand the reason....

I received the question, “What happens when we die and do I believe in reincarnation? I’m going to interpret the question to be asking what happens at the moment of...

From the web site I received a request asking me to tell how I first began my job at Hospice Care of Mid America in Kansas City Mo. In 1981...

We die a gradual death according to our personality and if that personality is protective then we may protect a person we care about by dying when they are not...

A question from B.D.: What to do when a dying daughter who has had radiation treatment to the brain and turns on you. Won't let me see her. Sends her...

Hi Nurse G,I think hospice care and the role nurses play has changed considerably and wonder if that is why you are not feeling the fulfillment you once did. Over...

We will meet the challenge of a gradual death in the same manner we have met other challenges in our life. Dying a gradual death is just one more challenge...

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...