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What to Say to a Dying Friend

Even though we know it will finally catch us all, death has the power shock us. When we learn that a friend or family member is dying, we stumble to find the right words to convey our distress and support. It’s difficult to know what to say and whether to even talk about it or ignore [...]

June 23rd, 2010 | Tags: , | Category: caregivers, dying | Comments are closed

Hospice Isn’t Just For Cancer Patients

My Dad was a hospice patient during the last six months of his life. He didn’t have cancer. He was just old and dying. Dad wasn’t dying of any one particular thing. He had a whole host of problems: diabetes, neuropathy, heart disease, hardening of the arteries and a touch of dementia. He’d had some [...]

January 17th, 2008 | Category: dying, hospice | Comments are closed

Even Superman Has to Die

My Dad died just before Christmas. He was 83. Dad suffered a long, hard road these past few years as his body lost strength and ability. With each loss came frustration, anger and fight — the desire to overcome the latest frailty. The last nine months were a rocky series of ups and downs. There [...]

January 15th, 2008 | Category: dying, hospice | Comments are closed

Do You Have Caregiver Stress?

This hasn’t been a good year for my Dad. After three trips to the hospital and a difficult two-month stint at a nursing home, he’s home and we’re caring for him. It’s been particularly tough on my mom.

Dad’s loss of physical and mental ability has placed an extra burden on Mom who’s feeling the effects [...]

June 30th, 2007 | Category: Alzheimer's disease, dying | Comments are closed

Books That Heal the Soul and Inspire the Spirit

My family is coping with the slow deterioration of my father’s health. It is difficult to see the daily loss of physical ability and stamina, the seesawing mental accuity — here this minute, gone the next — the struggle to do the simplest tasks. It is challenging to deal with the daily frustration and the [...]

May 31st, 2007 | Category: dying, self-help books | Comments are closed