Category Archives: family of the dying

HOSPICE ROLES

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Amy Getter

I will be happy if I never hear or read of another palliative or hospice-trained person saying something like, “she should just be the wife (or whatever the role is) and let us be the caregivers”.  “Should’s” are often not … Continue reading →

Posted in caregiving, daughter, end of life care, family of the dying | 5 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

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

WE’RE NOT THAT KIND OF FAMILY

Posted on October 30, 2016 by Amy Getter

November is national hospice month…an opportunity to honor all the patients, families and cohorts throughout the years. Over the years, I have been truly privileged to work with amazing families, of all kinds, as they walked through the loss of … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life care, family of the dying | 5 Comments

THE LAST DOSE

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Amy Getter

It’s been nearly 30 years since the evening as a fairly new nurse I had been assigned to the oncology floor. I still remember my patient (a young woman in her mid thirties with advanced ovarian cancer) the mother of … Continue reading →

Posted in end of life care, family of the dying, hospice, hospice story | 3 Comments

AN ODE TO MY MOTHER

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Amy Getter

Some of my family still mention, when reminiscing about my mother, that she was “out of touch” with reality.  My mom had a mental breakdown in her early thirties, (during the 50’s when a lot of women lived in a … Continue reading →

Posted in daughter, end of life care, family of the dying, wisdom | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

WHAT AN OVERCOMER LOOKS LIKE

Posted on February 16, 2016 by Amy Getter

Ettie never told me that “My mission in life is not merely to survive; but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor and some style.”  (Maya Angelou).  But she had lived this… She thrived. … Continue reading →

Posted in family of the dying, hospice story, telling stories | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

THE HEART OF HOME

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Amy Getter

A hospice nurse travels into many abodes.  So often these homes speak of dreams and accomplishments, or regrets and failures, but they always seem to frame a part of the owner’s story.  Like Cathy’s final work of art, her dream … Continue reading →

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

NOT “JUST THE DAUGHTER”

Posted on March 29, 2015 by Amy Getter

A whiff of lavender can still transport me to the bedside of my dying mother. In the early morning hours, Mom began breathing in shallow gasps, with periods of apnea. Several hours had passed since she had responded to any … Continue reading →

Posted in death bed vigil, family of the dying | Tagged , | 3 Comments