An insightful look at the hospice experience
935250
A moving memoir by a woman who chose to be a hospice nurse in spite of the stresses of dealing with impossible family member and difficult patients and the management with its focus on the bottom line. Interspersed with the troubles are wonderful and inspiring stories of cases where hospice resulted in a dignified and peaceful death. I would hope that if I became a candidate for hospice that I would  be lucky enough to have a hospice nurse like Heidi Tel
4488668
There are so many things that I liked about WTDS.  Overall, it was the content: poignant, real examples of what actually happens -- what we do and say and how we feel -- as we transition into the next world, as told by an obviously very perceptive, sensitive, experienced witness.  It was exactly what I wanted to know.  I also responded to the clear and beautiful prose, sentences well-crafted, stories beautifully told, reiteration to help keep me focused, summaries to drive home the point.  Then, I liked the suggestions on how to listen openly and respectfully when in the presence of the dying.  It makes me want to serve on the hospice team so I'll have first-hand experience too.  I resonated with the observation that the dying often find a private moment to leave this world and it was heartening to hear that the author thought they went always in the company of others.
4014024
As a physician who has seen the dying process in numerous patients, I have seen many struggle to accept their own death.  This may be the nature of all living things.  However, we now have a medical system that can maintain our vital signs and leave individuals in a perpetual limbo between life and death.  Dr. Williams-Murphy's book gives an unabashed look at end of life scenarios.  She provides examples of what one would want when faced with end of life situations, such as feeding tubes, being placed on a ventilator or dialysis.  She also is sensitive to the spiritual aspects of death, which mirror the spiritual aspect of life.  Dr. Williams-Murphy also goes through a step by step process of filling out an Advance Directive.  We prepare for birth by reading multiple books, going Lamaze classes, incorporating the help of relatives, but we do little of this when it comes to death.  If you are older than 55, if you have a chronic illness or if you have a family member who is nearing death, this is a must read.
Robert Ashley MD
1863530
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has a loved one facing death, or might have someone that recently passed and who may have said things in the process that just didn't seem to make sense. Many real life stories that will enlighten you as to this part of the dying process. I read this book after my mother passed, and it reaffirmed what I believed she was experiencing. This will help you to better understand the end of life process.
2786490
I've been a nurse for over 10 years now and I've seen my share of end of life issues. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I am pleased to say I really did enjoy it because the stories FELT so real. It's a collection of short stories of personal accounts and I felt my heart breaking while empathizing with each situation. Throughout the book I couldn't help but think, "What would I do if this was happening to me?" It made me reflect again on the relationships I have and how I should take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy the little things since life can be so fleeting. It's important to really think about death and how it impacts us and those around us. Unless it happens to us personally, sometimes we tend to easily forget that the grieving and mourning process goes well beyond the week of bereavement we are given off from work. We see people go back to their usual activities thinking they must be doing well but little do we realize that they are still dealing with emotional pain and anguish months or years after they've lost a love one. Our society seems to be preoccupied with so many other details that death is rarely given much thought until it personally touches us. Out of sight doesn't mean out of mind in this case. The more we can help each other understand and cope with it, the healthier we all can be mentally and emotionally. End of life decisions and situations are never easy but I would hope that we can all make the right decisions for ourselves and our loved ones when the time calls for it. I definitely would recommend this to anyone interested in broadening their perspective and appreciation for life. It's definitely worth the read.
4633411
Smart, funny, insightful and poignant--this book is really a memoir of Lindner's journey through the world of hospice. His compassion, humor and honesty make for an inspirational story. This is not a book only for those in the hospice community, but for anyone who enjoys a good read.
1417231
I am a hospice director and am constantly searching to better understand the critical issues that influence end of life decisions.  Katy Butler has written a superb book to help everyone who is concerned about the end of life process.  She writes from first hand family experiences and has thoughtfully researched key background data to provide a compelling narative about the challenges that confront all who approach end of life.  This book is especially poiniant for all family members who deal with the process.

Our national view of end of life must change both from a compassionate humanitarian way and from an economic viewpoint.  This book pushes the need for a much more thoughtful and comprehensive understanding of palliation versus ever more invasive attempts to extend life with very low prospects just because someone advocates continuing life at any cost.
475105
As a nurse who has worked critical care and hospice, Jan touches on the emotions that a nurse deals with when you are caring for dying patients. As a hospice nurse you have the experience of sharing intimate feelings and discussions with the patient and their family that you may not have in a hospital setting. Jan demonstrates the deep connection she had for her patients as well as her faith. In her writings she shares a window into her love and faith in Christ. Thanks Jan for the blessing!
205019
An insightful look into life and death in a small town, this collection of vignettes illustrates the lengths a caring, compassionate, and willing-to- accommodate-family-wishes undertaker will take.  Being from the same small town of which he writes gives him the ability to speak from first-hand and personal knowledge of his clients and the area he called home.  I enjoyed the book so much, took me only a couple of days to read.  Being from a small town myself, it took me back to my first 17 years...thru the cemeteries, the small town gatherings to grieve a neighbor of many years, the community togetherness when a loved one passes....my other thought was that it's too bad Mr. Swan is retired, because I would entrust him with laying to rest any of my remaining family, or even myself, if I could.  BW, in NY
727602
A great read for anyone experiencing caregiving for a parent. Atul Gawande writes as if he is talking directly to you and sharing his personal observations and the need for understanding of being mortal.
850615
Living with aging parents.  This exposure to Hospice and the challenge of medical professions to deal openly with the
inevitability of death was insightful.
422050
Sue is especially insightful about the dilemmas of managing a loved one's care within the American medical model, a model that is fraught with inconsistencies, inefficiencies and, sometimes, pure incompetence.  Her words resonated with me when she confronted the hospital staff about her mother's care, and, filled with frustration and rage, she stated, "Doesn't anybody get it?"  Sue does!  I was also drawn to her description of the hospital waiting room.  It was in this "no man's land" that Sue realized she could not "turn the train around" (her mother WAS dying), and she was committed to seeing her mother's fate through until the end.  Sue reveals astonishing truths about the human spirit when she finally moves from the "scared" to the "sacred" and begins to prepare for the "birth of death".  Her book will be a valuable gift for caregivers and the bereaved who continue to mourn the loss of a loved one long after that person has left the earthly plane.

Margaret Wisniewski, BA, MBA
Faculty Chair - Health Care Management
Cleary University
851131
Very well written about a real life experience
That lends insight to patients and family members who
Are going through similar situations
278291
This book was enlightening and comforting.  I recently attended a funeral service for my wife's uncle which tends to compel one to take a look at their own mortality and reminds one of other loved ones that has passed.  It elicited discussion about my own wishes for end of life care and funeral (body disposal in more truthful terms).  The book was comforting by describing more of what I can expect when I decide what to do with my own mother's remains.  Since her passing in 2009, I have had reservations about opening the box and perhaps seeing a vestige of her former self.  Caitlin's descriptions of the process and encouragement of acceptance of death compels me to act on the thoughtful things I intended to do with her remains; not that it won't be incredibly difficult and painful but that it is indeed part of the process of life.

Caitlin's writing style is wonderfully enlightening and at times humorous while dealing with the macabre and, quite honestly, disgusting features of what naturally occurs when we die.  I don't think myself a fast reader but I was able to finish it in a day due to it being a page-turner and concisely well=written.
3437203
This book is equal parts poignant,compassionate, funny, and enlightening in the way the author shares his experiences and findings as a funeral director and as a human being. As a funeral director he is steeped to his knees in the daily doings of death and grief and his personal journey in learning to cope and thrive, not just in spite of but because of, death, is eye opening and refreshing. There are aspects of his personal life that he has shared that I related to so deeply that I ended the book with a feeling of renewed hope and solidarity in my faith that God isn't absent, even in those dark and scary and lonely moments that are so inexplicable. Though the author isn't preaching any message of faith, other than that death can be a positive, but because I have held hands with death in my own life, the author reminded me that the tension between life and death, sorrow and joy, defeat and hope....., is possible to hold in this life. I may never understand it, but I can hold it. Beautifully written, I definitely recommend this book to those who may be struggling in their own death narrative.
3951131
An eye opening look into the humanity of caring for people in the late stages of life and the feelings they and their families might experience when death is inevitable and too soon.
3694441
Moving, emotional story about Ben Warren and Kathryn Walker, a hospice social worker.  Two opposites who connected when Ben's father entered hospice after suffering a massive stroke.  While Ben dealt with his father dying, it caused him to examine his own life and alter its direction.  The romance between Ben and Kathryn took a back seat (for me).  I appreciated the depiction of grief and coping with the death of someone you love deeply.  Life is NOT normal after someone dies.  Stallings portrayal of Ben after his father's death rang true for me.

Maybe because my father-in-law is terminally ill and in hospice, I cried several times throughout the scenes in the hospice unit at the hospital.  I felt comforted by Kathryn's gentle nature, compassionate words and sage advice to Ben.  Fortunately, my father-in-law is lucid and the family has the opportunity to say goodbye.  A thoughtful, heartfelt read without being preachy quoting Bible verses, discussing God, faith and important life values.