Tag Archives: end of life

THE BIG BUSINESS OF DYING

Posted on April 17, 2023 by Amy Getter

As the saying goes, there are two things we can’t avoid: death and taxes. Another less-known and also difficult-to-avoid situation is the cost of dying. While attending a recent webinar on end-of-life care, I listened to the phrase “the death … Continue reading →

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MYSTERIOUS TIMING

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Amy Getter

Some years ago I met a couple who did everything together. I remember the man after discovering his partner of 60 years was diagnosed with terminal cancer, said emphatically,  “I’m terminal, too.” Perhaps none of us believed him fully. But … Continue reading →

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SMILE

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Amy Getter

As I sat listening to a great jazz rendition of the song “Smile”, I saw Ella in my mind’s eye.  I met her just briefly- in the middle of a humble living room, lying in her hospital bed, pale as the sheet over … Continue reading →

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THE WEDDING PLANNER

Posted on August 3, 2013 by Amy Getter

I imagine she looks like she is dying now…..no one other than family members are allowed in to see her these final days.  She was a friend a long time ago, and became more distant over the years, as she … Continue reading →

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EXPERIRI

Posted on July 30, 2013 by Amy Getter

We have a saying in hospice, “Leave your agenda at the door”. This is just a simple way of reminding each other to remember whose death it is that we are following, and who is in charge.  I often tell people, hospice … Continue reading →

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THE TRUTH ABOUT DWD

Posted on January 31, 2013 by Amy Getter

“Thou shalt not kill” in Hebrew means “thou shall not murder”.  Perhaps it seems a moot point, but there is a difference between the two English words. Thou shalt not shed innocent blood unlawfully, via murder, destruction and ruin….an act done to someone … Continue reading →

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“IF I SHOULD DIE BEFORE I WAKE”

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Amy Getter

“If I should die before I wake….” A child’s prayer my little sister and I sometimes spoke together at bedtime, not totally aware of what we were saying, I think, or we would have kept our eyes open and not slept a … Continue reading →

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CENTENNIAL WISDOM

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Amy Getter

A woman who is one hundred years old is oh, so slowly dying; we all sit at the bedside and feel as though we are holding our breath.  She is still breathing.  Her family and I are wondering how a person can stay alive … Continue reading →

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MEMORIES OF THE WAY WE WERE

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Amy Getter

We will remember …scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind, Smiles we gave to one another…… the way we were  (The Way We Were, by Alan/Marilyn Bergman) Today Ivan, who is ninety, reminisces about his papa, because today is the anniversary of … Continue reading →

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