Blog: Hospice Views
Recommended Reading: Until I Say Goodbye by Susan Spencer-Wendel
In a book full of determination and inspiration, perhaps the most inspiring thing is that Susan Spencer-Wendel’s memoir Until I Say Goodbye exists at all. Diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at age 44, she typed out the book letter by letter with her right thumb, her only finger still able to type.
The 2nd Amendment & Disarming Dementia Patients
Safety always comes first – especially when a loved one has been diagnosed with dementia. Families quickly tackle the difficult conversation to convince their loved one to give up their car keys. When their loved one begins to wander, accommodations are made to ensure they can no longer leave the house without alerting caregivers.
Writing a Bucket List for the Terminally Ill
Great care is all about improving the quality of life for patients – physically, mentally, and spiritually. One activity that people often undertake in an effort to enhance their quality of life is writing a list of things they hope to do before they “kick the bucket.” Helping write a bucket list for the terminally ill can benefit both the patient and caregiver in various ways.
Using Writing as Therapy at the End of Life
Graham Greene once said, “writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, melancholia, the panic and fear which is inherent in a human situation.”
Why Opioids Are Necessary in Hospice Care
For the first time in U.S. history, a person is more likely to die from an accidental overdose than a motor vehicle crash. That is the chilling analysis of the National Safety Council as deaths from drug overdoses climbed above 70,000 in 2017 – more than all the Americans who died in the Vietnam War.
MORE Great Content
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159