Search Results for: hospice

By Renee Langmuir   There are no instruction manuals for navigating a first serious illness. Even nurse navigators with all good intentions, and a very helpful title, might overlook something compelling. A little shared wisdom and experience would have gone a long way, recently, for my husband and me.  …

In many communities, it often makes the front page of the local newspaper: that is, a resident celebrating a 100th (or even older) birthday. For example, there was recently much hoopla in the town of Willits, CA when 116-year-old Edith Ceccarelli (the oldest person in the US and second oldest…

For such a universal experience, it’s somewhat shocking that so many of us know so little about what actually happens as death approaches. Most of us have been raised in an era and environment where death happens in a facility or setting apart from everyday life, and frequently those in…

By Kathleen M. Rehl, Ph.D., CFP®   “Where do you want to live when we’re old?” I asked my husband two years ago. That was before my 75th birthday. Charlie replied, “Our grandkids already think we’re old!”       Conversations followed over the coming days and months, resulting in…

“You might think sitting with someone who is dying means you will be having big conversations about the meaning of life,” a hospice chaplain had advised me. “Wrong! Sometimes, all that’s called for is to just show up and watch Jeopardy! together.”

You may remember during the earlier days of the Covid pandemic, when death was an ever-present concern in the minds of many, we touched on the role of end-of-life doulas, trained professionals who provide comfort, companionship, and counseling for individuals and loved ones as death approaches. While not providing actual…