Alexa never imagined at 46 years old what her life would be as a full-time caregiver. Her mother, having lived independently for years and still working well into her 80’s, began showing signs of uncharacteristic behavior like confusion, agitation, and decreased physical…

Waiting too long to use hospice care can make suffering at end-of-life worse. When is it the right time? Anyone with a terminal illness who is faced with choosing quality over quantity of their life should be having honest and…

Experiencing the death of a family member can be difficult even for the most loving of relationships, so how do you cope with grief and the death of someone when your memories and negative experiences far outweigh the good? Is…

If your community has more than one hospice organization, how do you know which one is right for you? How can you know anything about them? One way to find out is by calling the hospices in your area and…

A report published earlier this year confirmed that community-based palliative care was associated with a 50 percent reduction in emergency room visits during the last year of patients’ lives. While this isn’t a brand new finding, it did clarify the…

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), which is the oldest and largest leadership organization working on behalf of hospice and palliative care, is reporting that 34.5 percent of patients died or were discharged within seven days of admission…

It’s hard enough to deal with a terminal illness and the care involved – so to help take some of the mystery out of what exactly “hospice” means, here are a list of the most frequently asked questions according to the…

The recent statement from the Bush family about former First Lady Barbara Bush’s decision to receive comfort care instead of hospitalization has created a surge of interest and questions from the public about what “comfort care” actually means. There are…

A new study is underway exploring whether home-based palliative care (HBPC) or palliative care received in clinics is most effective in boosting the quality of life for seriously ill patients.  Conducted through the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, and…

Experiencing the loss of a loved one can be difficult at any age but it can be especially hard when the loss is experienced by a child. Unlike adults, children don’t have many resources to help them —  so that’s…