As a hospice spiritual caregiver, it’s hard to bring comfort to a family when they are fighting. I was recently in one of those ugly scenes where a mother lay dying while her children and grandchildren argued around her bed. They quarreled about the family estate and what would be the best care for their […]
Care for the Dying & Bereaved Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) was a Dutch Catholic priest who taught theology at several prestigious institutions including Notre Dame, Yale and Harvard. Following his mother’s death in 1978, he became increasingly dissatisfied in his academic career and in 1985 he resigned. He joined a community that welcomed and ministered to […]
Won’t You Please Take Me Home? As I made my way through the kitchen at our Wings Home, an end of life home that provides compassionate comfort for a patient’s final days, a volunteer whispered, “Richard Roundhouse is having a really tough time today. You might want to see him.” As I raised my hand […]
Caring for the Human Spirit in the Hospice Setting When it comes to the care of the terminally ill, there can be any number of spiritual needs. When those needs are not met, a dying person and family can suffer. When those needs are met, there can be a relative sense of well-being and joy […]
Advance directives are a way of communicating who you want to make health care decisions for you in the event you are unable to make them yourself. This is a legal document in Michigan. Making Choices Michigan is a great resource for a simple advance directive form. Check out their website at www.makingchoicesmichigan.org and click […]
A family gathers The yard was packed with cars as I pulled into the driveway. A few grand-kids were gathered in a circle out in the yard having a smoke, perhaps relieving the stress of the moment. A loved one lay dying inside. When a family experiences this kind of grief, they come up against […]
Professional Fundraising A friend of mine has been a professional fundraiser for over 30 years. She has worked for many nonprofits raising millions of dollars. When she got her first fundraising job, her father said to her “They PAY you to do this?!!” Yes, they paid her. It is a profession. There are university degrees […]
Giving Back I had often thought because I had been blessed with the wonderful support of Wings of Hope Hospice in the past for both my Dad and Mom in their final days that I would like to volunteer at Wings Home some day and return the favor for the blessings my family had received. Late […]
Introduction As the generation of people who are faced with decisions for our parents, we are so very many times their final voice. We are a society that plans for almost all changes in life. We plan for graduation, our wedding, the birth of a baby, college and retirement yet most of us avoid planning […]
I have been a hospice volunteer in bereavement for Wings of Hope Hospice for 16 years. This ‘job’ came about as a way for me to give back after I had been helped through a rough patch myself. Open Door Grief Support Policy I am very proud to be associated with Wings and am proudest […]
