Something to Think About

This is where bereavement support groups come in. Support groups are for anyone experiencing a death. The groups are not for just those people having challenges in dealing with their...

We cannot put 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 anyone can...

We are not able to fix everyone. The physical body is programmed to die. It is made to die. So at some point the medical professionals will have to have...

Dying is not a medical event. It is a social, communal event. Dying is not a time for procedures or medications. It is time for support, guidance and reassurance FOR...

In those last five months I tried for us to live in the present, to build good memories, to love, give and live in the moment...

There is a reason dementia is referred to as the "long goodbye;" the mind is gone long before the body...

When life has run its course (however many years it is) our body begins to "wind down" much like it “wound up” in the beginning...

"How do you reach out to a non-religious person who believes the end is the end?" You don't...

Life puts us in challenging situations. Often times it is not where we want to be. Sometimes it seems we don’t have a choice...

In today’s hospice environment time spent with patients and families seem to be what agencies have the least to offer. My suggestion is the chaplain can fill in that time...

We support others in their belief system no matter what we believe. It is not about us...

As a hospice nurse I wrote a booklet to guide the families I worked with in understanding the signs of approaching death. I wanted the booklet to be short, direct, and gentle....

What if there was a doula to support a person during this journey? What if there was a person who was educated in the dynamics of dementia who became a...

From what you have told me I believe your mother's death was no one's fault, certainly not yours. Her body, after all the years of illness, couldn't continue and she...

I’ve always said I can teach anyone how to take care of someone who is dying, the physical, communication, supportive skills. It is the interpersonal, empathy, and heart skills that...

I also thought as we get older that question tends to come out of hiding more easily. The older we are the more the question lies in the back of...

In the months before death when the patient is still alert, still actively engaging, watch for clues, for openings to help bring the "what has life been about" thoughts forward...

Dying is not a medical event. Dying is a communal, social event. Nursing and physicians are part of care, but not the all encompassing focus. The main focus of end...

I think the reason hospice gets their referrals in the weeks before death rather than months is because hospice implies death will come. We look for and hope for a...

Since at this time there are no “standards of practice” or even standards for the content given in end of life training, think about what you are looking to provide....

By Your Side offers guidance in the area of making choices: cure, life sustaining, comfort care, making advanced directives, and funeral planning. It details signs of approaching death (what to look...