Category Archives: end of life care

ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Amy Getter

What will you do with your one wild and precious life?  Mary Oliver. I was thinking about legacy, and how the world shapes us.  There have been so many lives shared with me over the years: some people I have … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life care | 1 Comment

WHY HOSPICE, WHY NOW?

Posted on May 26, 2018 by Amy Getter

There is a question suggested for hospice staff to consider when they talk with people about hospice services.  “Why hospice, why now?”  Ask yourself, what makes this moment in time the reason someone might decide on hospice; what about this … Continue reading →

Posted in advocacy; patient rights; hospice nurse, end of life care | Tagged , | 3 Comments

SIBLINGS

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Amy Getter

J. can no longer easily get out of her recliner, and her adult sisters have arrived to help her manage these last days so she can remain in her home.  She tells us at our nursing visit:  “When they (the … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life care | 3 Comments

BEHIND THE WORDS

Posted on January 28, 2018 by Amy Getter

Words can relay many things, but they only share a part of the message.  Even when words aren’t understood, or are unspoken, we can still communicate.  I recently made a visit to a patient who lay in his bed, able … Continue reading →

Posted in communication, end of life care | 2 Comments

A NEW YEAR

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Amy Getter

Perhaps because I heard a blessing, perhaps because I remembered a tune, perhaps because some I loved are gone, and perhaps because another year has gone by…I send this wish to you: May You Always… walk in sunshine Slumber warm … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life care | 4 Comments

WHO’S SORRY NOW

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Amy Getter

Bullies might be sorry some day. Who doesn’t have a story about being bullied? I remember being in grade school when there was a bigger girl who always lurked on the sidewalk with a couple of her friends. The three … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life care, family of the dying | Tagged | Leave a comment

THE ALIEN

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Amy Getter

We should never become immune to surprise. Too many things can stop us midstream and make us think about the novelty of our experiences. Every person who has been touched by the loss of someone they love has their own … Continue reading →

Posted in daughter, end of life care | 2 Comments

THE AWE OF TODAY

Posted on August 23, 2017 by Amy Getter

I spent a morning in anticipation, along with many others, watching the moon cover the sun, until only a bright ring of light was left in the sky, and stars twinkled in the middle of a misty day along the … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life care | Tagged | 2 Comments

TO ERR IS HUMAN

Posted on July 30, 2017 by Amy Getter

I read a painfully honest account today of implicit bias, something we all have in common as human beings. A doctor shares openly about how she reacts to a family of a patient who is imminently dying, and the disservice … Continue reading →

Posted in aging, end of life care, family of the dying | Leave a comment

NEITHER EXPERT NOR NOVICE

Posted on June 25, 2017 by Amy Getter

Like other families, my first real glimpse of home hospice care was when the team came to help my mom care for my dad the last 3 months of his life. I was not new to watching the dying process, … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life care, family of the dying | Tagged , , | 4 Comments