Living With Hospice

At sometime in our lives, we will all have a  traumatic experience that causes us to have a strong emotional or physical reaction. On most occasions though, these reactions subside as a part of the body’s natural healing and recovery process, but in the moment, they seem overwhelming.  In this edition of Living With Hospice, Mitch discusses what happens in those few moments after trauma has occurred, and reminds us that sometimes s...

Originally published in 2020, LWH's classic episode on how to handle the Holidays is once again returning for the season!  Holidays are often difficult for anyone who has experienced or is facing the death of someone they love.   Instead of being a time of tradition, family togetherness, sharing and giving thanks for blessings, this time of year can bring feelings of sadness, loss and emptiness.  What do we do when we are feel...

We've all experienced the need to make a change at some point in our lives and understand that it can bring about a host of emotions and some fear of the unknown.  While at times, this can be something exciting,  when on an end of life journey, this can seem difficult, overwhelming and just plain impossible.  In this episode, Mitch discusses how to take control of your Hospice journey and have the courage to make it better if ...

Why do some Hospice patients not make it to their life expectancy while others outlive their diagnosis?  How come some patients seem to actually get better once they begin receiving Hospice care?  In this short episode, Mitch discusses the factors used in determining the life - expectancy of a terminally ill patient, as well as the factors that are not considered, and explains how palliative Hospice care can actually increase someo...

Grief is a long process to endure when you lose someone you love.  In Living With Hospice's fourth grief-centric episode, Mitch addresses the topic of grief triggers and how they can bring up that pain of loss and other emotions,  sometimes even years later.  While some may be very obvious and predictable, like anniversaries and such, others can hit you out of left field and leave you feeling sad all over again.  Mitch provide...

Have you heard stories about people that are on their deathbed but seem to linger on, as if they're waiting for something or someone before they crossover? Whether they are worried about family, money, finances or just fearful of leaving this earth, it is sometimes a struggle for our loved ones to be at peace with leaving this world.  In this episode, Mitch shares his experiences with this end of life situation and provides gu...

When someone is feeling a call to volunteer, hospice organizations are not typically on the top of many  lists because people are uncomfortable being exposed to death and dying.   In this episode, Mitch offers a very different perspective of why people volunteer for hospice and how being there for people on an end of life journey can be a very rewarding blessing.    
Also - Mitch tells us the several different ways you can volu...

Death is something that we all, sooner or later, have to face - especially when we or a loved one are on an end of life journey.  To some extent, we are all scared of death – whether it be the thought of our own death or the fear that someone we love might pass away.  But how do we respond to this fear of the inevitable? Why are some of us more afraid than others? And what is it, exactly, that scares us about death?  

In this episod...

As the New Year begins, people are often filled with renewed energy and hope.  It's a time of new resolutions, new promise, new adventures, and boundless opportunities. However, when you're on an end of life journey with someone, the world around you never quite feels like that.  In this episode, Mitch discusses how to manage when you are in a world that doesn't change, or seem to move forward, with the rest of the w...

Holidays are often difficult for anyone who has experienced or is facing the death of someone they love.   Instead of being a time of tradition, family togetherness, sharing and giving thanks for blessings, this time of year can bring feelings of sadness, loss and emptiness.  What do we do when we are feeling pressure to engage in the "holiday spirit", but we are triggered by memories of earlier times with a loved one who...

The last few episodes have explored the grief process as it is a common feeling before, during and after we lose our loved one. In this episode, Mitch discusses another common emotion that happens after our loved one has passed - guilt.   It's normal to ask ourselves, "Could I have done more?" and  "Did I do enough?" but it's also very easy to get bogged down in our guilt and the 'What ifs'. ...