Breaking the News That a Loved One is Going on Hospice Care
When the paperwork was finally signed to get hospice care for my dad, I was grateful. There would now be a routine of care...
Grief
Mixed Emotions: Grief and Relief When the Loved One You Cared for Dies
When my mother died in a local nursing home, my “career” of visiting this exceptional facility nearly every day for almost 15 years ended....
Hindsight Can Be a Blessing or a Curse for Caregivers
They say hindsight is 20/20. But things from the past that may seem “clear” to you now can still be distorted by difficult emotions...
Admitting Loved One to Hospice Is Emotional, but Understanding Process Helps
Dear Carol: I’m crushed and uncertain how to move forward. My wife, 74, has spent years battling cancer with some success and a reasonable...
You’re Not a Terrible Person If You’ve Secretly Wished Your Ill Loved One Could Die
Every so often, someone will admit that they secretly wish the person they’re caring for would pass away. Often, this person is sick, suffering,...
Family Disagrees about Moving Widowed Mom Weeks After Husband’s Death
Dear Carol: Dad died two weeks ago at 89 years of age. Mom is 87 and has what they think is early-stage Alzheimer’s. She’s...
Ways to Minimize Grief for a Surviving Spouse with Dementia
Deciding whether to tell someone who is cognitively impaired that their spouse has died is a serious and often recurring struggle. Dementia and death...
Hospice Care: Help During End Stages of Life
Each time I walked into Dad’s room in the nursing home, he would be rigid in bed, propped up on one elbow and slamming...
Music-Thanatology: Providing Harmony at the End of Life
The mission of hospice providers is to help people live their last months or weeks of life in the most comfortable, dignified, and satisfying...
Why So Many Long-Married Couples Die Close Together
While death rarely brings pleasant feelings, from time to time we’ll see a story about death go viral on the Internet because it touches...
