When you or someone you love receives a hospice diagnosis, it is with the understanding that there may only be six months or less to live. That alone is a hard pill to swallow, and the process moving forward is so full of the unknown that fear is almost always present. Very rarely is anyone prepared for death and what that might entail. One of the many benefits of having hospice care, is the team that is assigned and who will collaborate together to do their best to make su

I went to the funeral of a patient yesterday; this is not something I do often. Once in awhile a patient and their family finds a space...

Death does not come in a “one size fits all” category; it is not usually predictable, and very rarely planned and it will never become...

I think one of the most important qualities a person can have, is the ability to truly listen. Have you ever been with someone when you...

I woke up yesterday morning prepared to visit a patient whom I knew was nearing her end. I texted her son and said I was on my way. He...

When I was a little girl, my mother used to sew; she was at her sewing machine often. I wish I knew then what I know now about how much...

I admit it... I get attached... I try so hard not to. This work we do is so intimate and so personal that a deep connection is made...

After spending so many hours at the home of a patient who is actively dying and working with a family who is struggling with the...

Much like death, grief is not predictable. We do not grieve the same way, it doesn’t happen on queue; there isn’t a rulebook that says: “this is how you will feel and when”. My father died 30 years ago and I am only now truly feeling that loss. My sister died less than that, and my heart aches for her daily. Some people cry, some people hold it in, some people wonder why they don’t feel a thing, and some wonder when the tears will stop and the pain will end. I received a cal

I was sitting with a wife, two daughters and a son of a patient who was dying. It is at this time that I have the conversation about what...

What is hospice? I get asked this question a lot. I have also heard the many misconceptions about what hospice is, and I have seen fear,...

I walked into the room of a patient who was in a facility, at the same moment the floor nurse walked in to give medication. She walked up...

Before I started my day, I called a family to let them know I would be there about noon. I left a voicemail. I was with another patient...

I will never get tired of seeing people being kind to strangers, or just being kind in general. Yesterday the AC went out in our hospice...

We had a patient pass recently; it happened while I had stepped out for a bit and when I walked in the door, I was told he was gone. He...

I have been writing this in my head since the day she arrived, because the moment I met her, I knew immediately there was a special place...

When I was 17 I dated a guy whose mother I rubbed the wrong way. The midnight intoxicated teenage calls to him didn't help. I got a...

This is definitely on my top 5 list of things I have so much to say about!! After a long day of seeing patients, barely taking a break to...

I struggle with saying "no". I am THAT nurse! The one that will see another patient after I have already seen 5, or work the weekend...

When someone is lying in a bed and they are unable to verbalize how they are feeling or what they might need, that is the most important...