In a culture where articles and statistics about the quality end-of-life have begun to infiltrate magazines and articles and studies, the underlying message has yet to be a common part of family discussions. We are still a culture that denies…

“I wish people knew how honored our team is to be able to take care of them.  To allow us into their lives at such a sensitive time.  How all of us constantly think about them and how we can…

From The Conversation Project. Three Things You Can Do Now: This is a challenging time. There are many things that are out of our control. But there are some things we can do to help us be prepared – both…

The blanket waivers issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) did not directly address the critical role performed by hospice providers in delivering compassionate palliative care during this national public health emergency. In addition to clarifying that…

When someone is dying, family members and other loved ones are suddenly thrust into the role of caregiver, often with little preparation or knowledge of what to expect. According to the Associated Press-NORC Center’s Long-Term Caregiving Poll, nearly 40 percent…

Social workers are known for their dedication to helping others; by providing support, finding resources, navigating through difficult journeys, offering problem-solving solutions and coping skills to those experiencing stressful issues. They are people who possess an immense amount of integrity…

It’s normal to want to protect children and keep them innocent for as long as possible so when it comes to discussing death with children, many people avoid it. But how can you avoid it when a family member or…

Most of us don’t want to hear bad news, let alone talk about it especially when it comes to our health. However, as the baby boomer generation is aging and making their way toward the end-of-life, there has been an…

Policy changes are key to the passage of the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act to prevent a very real possibility of palliative care doctors in the next 25 years. An article in the June 2019 issue of…

Larry Patten is a retired paster and currently works in a hospice facility in Fresno, California. As any hospice worker, he visits people in their homes, hospitals and skilled nursing facilities and tends to patients who have anywhere from a…