By Maureen RulisonCaregiver Support and Resources Hospice care isn’t a choice to make lightly. (That’s why, as always, I sincerely hope you and your loved ones are having the conversation early.) Choosing a hospice care provider – to serve the final steps in the aging process – should be an upfront consideration. Why? Well, there’s […]
By Maureen RulisonCaregiver Support and Resources, LLC Discussing end-of-life care with aging loved ones is probably one of the hardest conversations life throws at us. People can react so differently to the concept of – gulp – death. Of course, you’d like to think your folks have their “cards in order” and are prepared for […]
By Maureen RulisonCaregiver Support and Resources, LLC Hospice care isn’t just a time for making loved ones comfortable as they transition through the dying process. Sure, we consume ourselves with the physical parts of dying – the pain, the sickness, the inevitable uncomfortability of it all – because it’s quite often the opposite of pretty. […]
By Maureen RulisonCaregiver Support and Resources, LLC We often discuss difficult end-of-life care decisions. They can be tough even when you’re prepared. That’s why we stress the importance of life care planning, so we’re not caught off guard when overwhelming decisions like when to enter hospice care become very real scenarios. As our loved ones […]
Hospice care arouses POWERFUL emotions. It feels like “the beginning of the end” for your loved one, and the hearts and minds of care partners understandably churn with sorrow. We must cope with the stress, emotional fatigue, sorrow and even anger, so here are some ways to manage anticipatory grief in hospice care. Notice we […]
By Brian LeBlanc I hate to be a downer. Anyone who truly knows me knows that – that I’m always looking to find the good, to find the laughter, to smile. Because we’re all “on the way out,” only at different stages. For me, with my Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, my “way out” may […]
It’s close to the end. You know it. Your family knows it. The doctor and medical staff know it. (“Close to the end” is a strange combination of perspective and reality. And “knowing it” is an exercise in faith and reality.) When is the time right for hospice care? Most hospice agencies say families and […]
Hospice and palliative care deliver many of the same services. They both ease pain and suffering from serious conditions. But there’s a significant difference between hospice and palliative care: the expected outcome. Palliative care is delivered when a medical condition, no matter how serious, is not at the moment considered to be life threatening. For example, […]
Your elderly mother rests comfortably in her bed upstairs, while a gathering of family members sit crying in the living room downstairs. A hospice nurse has just made her first home visit and administered some medication to quell a nasty coughing fit. Mom’s terminal illness has progressed greatly in recent weeks, and it’s clear to […]
The clear lake water laps gently against the dock where you and your father stand in silence. He gazes across the water toward the setting sun. He appears deep in thought. “A beautiful, golden sunset to kick off my golden years,” he says. You smile. It’s a moment out of a Robert Frost poem. “Nature’s […]
