Breathlessness - called dyspnea - can be a very distressing symptom for everyone present at the end of life. This series tells you what is considered best practice for managing breathlessness at the end of life so that you can know what to expect if this symptom occurs. Learn about several ways it...
Normally we want people to eat and drink to heal. But for terminally ill, what does it mean when they no longer want food or fluids? How do we continue to support them? Find out about the dying process and how as a caregiver and family member your focus can shift to symptom management. Listen also...
This is the first of a series of talks about the last hours of living with the focus this week on pain and skin. In is natural to assume that what we have been told to do to recuperate and be healthy are the same as what is seen during the dying process. The approaches and rules are different when...
End-of-Life Doulas are similar to birth midwives - they advise and advocate for a client's wishes; in this case, how they perceive a "good death." Learn about doulas and their role in our healthcare system.
Caring for the dying or critically ill can cause significant distress for health care providers, but even more so for family members in the role as a caregiver. Marianne shares about the complex challenges facing caregivers and ways to cope.
A stroke is an injury to the brain caused by a change in blood supply, such as from a blood clot or burst in a vessel that feeds the brain. Learn about left-sided strokes and the impact it can have on the body - physically, cognitively and emotionally. Listen to ways to help a survivor through the...
Michael is married to Janet who has Huntington’s disease and dementia; he wasn’t prepared to be Janet’s caregiver, but he has learned a lot in the last 12 years. This week he talks about how relationships, perspectives, and relationships change when your partner has a progressive, terminal disease.
Huntington's disease is a rare, inherited disease that causes the progressive breakdown (degeneration) of nerve cells in the brain; it has no cure. Michael’s wife, Janet receiving hospice support and Michael talks very openly about the challenges of caring for someone with Huntington’s.
The death of a parent is a profound loss. Parental loss in midlife may result in lingering feelings of loneliness, raise memories of former losses, remind us of unresolved conflicts, and make us wonder about life’s purpose. Listen to Noelle’s story about how she is working to adjust to her mother’s...
What should one expect if a family member is discharged to hospice? We talk about this as well as some resources to help caregivers.