care options -hospice
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Written by two hospice nurses, and recommended to us by another, it's a special book that provides great insight and perspective on the dying process.
This site answers both patient and caregiver questions in a simple and straightforward manner.
How To Interact With Your Parent In Hospice
One of the wonderful things about hospice is the guidance and support they provide to both patient and family. Moving into this “new phase” of care, we needed help understanding how to interact with our dad, and also we needed to understand the process of what to expect next.
First, the nurse explained that we needed to help Dad bring closure to his life. We did that by softly assuring him that we loved him, that we would be okay, and that my sister Karen and I would take care of Mom. He never spoke with us, but we know he heard our words. The nurse already explained to us the importance of this communication - it allowed Dad to begin his journey.
The nurse also explained that our dad was slowly separating from us, that he was preparing to move on. She was helping us understand why he wasn’t opening his eyes, or talking with us, or why his body seemed to hurt when we touched him. She noted also that it was hard for family members to accept their loved one’s not eating or drinking, but she assured us that this was part of the preparation process.
To learn more about this special communication, we highly recommend a beautiful book called Final Gifts written by two hospice nurses, Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley. This book was recommended to us by a hospice nurse, but unfortunately we read it after our dad died. We guarantee, however, it would have made a difference had we read it while he was still alive.
We are grateful to the wonderful people at hospice who helped us and our dad through the end of his life.
First, the nurse explained that we needed to help Dad bring closure to his life. We did that by softly assuring him that we loved him, that we would be okay, and that my sister Karen and I would take care of Mom. He never spoke with us, but we know he heard our words. The nurse already explained to us the importance of this communication - it allowed Dad to begin his journey.
The nurse also explained that our dad was slowly separating from us, that he was preparing to move on. She was helping us understand why he wasn’t opening his eyes, or talking with us, or why his body seemed to hurt when we touched him. She noted also that it was hard for family members to accept their loved one’s not eating or drinking, but she assured us that this was part of the preparation process.
To learn more about this special communication, we highly recommend a beautiful book called Final Gifts written by two hospice nurses, Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley. This book was recommended to us by a hospice nurse, but unfortunately we read it after our dad died. We guarantee, however, it would have made a difference had we read it while he was still alive.
We are grateful to the wonderful people at hospice who helped us and our dad through the end of his life.
Here’s an idea from the FDA: When the doctor is writing out a prescription, ask to have the name spelled out, and write it down, along with the dosage directions, right there in the doctor’s office. Take these notes with you to the pharmacy to prevent any mistakes that might possibly result from the pharmacist’s not being able to decipher the doctor’s handwriting.
"A Humorist Illuminates the Blessings of Hospice" by Jane E. Brody, The New York Times
