A Hospice Doctor Makes House Calls

Written by on October 25, 2010 - 2 Comments
Categories: Hospice Care

I read a touching story in our local paper today which describes very clearly how hospice care helps a patient as well as her entire family.  Teryl Zarnow, the columnist, writes: We all approach the end of life as beginners. Mayo, who practiced outpatient geriatric medicine for 20 years, probably knows more about death than [...]

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Hospice Care, Part 5: Another Family’s Hospice Experience

Written by on November 9, 2009 - 3 Comments
Categories: Hospice Care, Interviews

Cindy is a dear friend whom I met around 1980.  Together we’ve experienced many of life’s milestones — single life, finding our Mr. Right’s, weddings, married life, having children, watching them grow, and caring for our parents. Our mothers both spent their final days on hospice but their hospice experiences were different in many ways: [...]

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Hospice Care, Part 4: Mom’s Hospice Experience

Written by on October 19, 2009 - 1 Comment
Categories: Communication, Hospice Care, My Caregiving Journey

This article is Part 4 in a series on hospice care.  Please see the section below entitled “Related Posts” for links to Parts 1, 2, and 3 and to read more on this topic. First Time Around It Was “No Go” I was impressed with the way my dad’s final months were made more comfortable [...]

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Hospice Care, Part 3: Meet Baxter, a Hospice Therapy Dog

Written by on October 9, 2009 - 1 Comment
Categories: Communication, Hospice Care, Pets

I could try to write a post about hospice and therapy dogs, but no words I write would come close to illustrating the intertwined human and dog worlds that are revealed in this beautiful video. Kleenex Alert — this is sure to touch your heart! If you have trouble viewing the video, click here. Baxter [...]

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Hospice Care, Part 2: Dad’s Hospice Experience

Written by on October 5, 2009 - 3 Comments
Categories: Hospice Care, My Caregiving Journey

Please be aware I am not a health care worker, nor an expert on hospice and end-of-life issues, but I am sharing my family’s hospice experiences with you in the hope it will lead to more knowledge and a greater understanding of this aspect of life. This is Part 2 in a series on hospice [...]

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Hospice Care, Part 1: Misperceptions About What Hospice Is

Written by on September 21, 2009 - 10 Comments
Categories: Hospice Care

“Hospice” is an extremely emotionally-charged word. It is something we’d prefer never to think about . . .  let alone talk about with loved ones . . . or anyone. Through personally experiencing and observing hospice care for each of my parents, I slowly overcame my fears about hospice. And looking back now, I feel [...]

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