I could hear the patient even before entering her room. Her respirations were congested with “gurgling,” a sign of active dying. Apart from that, she was making a soft sound with each exhalation. It sounded like “ahhhhhhhh.” I sat at the bedside and gently caressed...
I recently had a unique experience that I’m apparently holding on to more than I should. I received a massage therapy referral for a 71-year-old pancreatic cancer patient. When I receive a referral, the patient has been vetted by the attending RN and the patient...
A corner room at the hospice inpatient unit, room 412 is a bit larger than the other rooms, with windows facing two directions. It doesn’t always work this way, but we try to place patients with larger families in 412. Sometimes, but not always, this...
Our chaplain has a sense of humor. We arrived at work yesterday morning to encounter a large stuffed giraffe leaning against the elevator door. “What’s with the giraffe?” I asked. “That giraffe is definitely going through something,” the chaplain deadpanned. “We should give him some...
When you’re a patient or caregiver, anxious is almost your middle name. Illness and injury make us all anxious. The diagnosis, the treatment, the unknown, or the reality of what’s happening right now, in the moment. I recently watched a short video clip on Facebook...
The message read, “Patient pronounced at 0400, family arrived and are grieving well.” I pondered this for days. What does “grieving well” mean? During the shattering process of grief, it may not seem that anything is “well.” And yet . . . Perhaps “grieving well”...
Last Wednesday afternoon, I received a phone call with the shocking news that a dear friend and colleague had died unexpectedly. He was out of town with his beloved wife when he collapsed on the stairs at a museum, dying instantly of a massive heart...
I recently entered a patient’s room just as he was drawing his last breath. This lovely man had been my patient for only two weeks. But it was clear that he was an extraordinary person, and I adored his sweet family as well. The nurse...
By the time we meet many of our clients, they’ve lost a lot. They may have lost their hair, their muscle mass, their breasts, their jobs, their mobility, their independence, control of their bladders, control of their bowels, the ability to speak for themselves. They...
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