Pet Loss: Guilt in the Wake of the Euthanasia Decision

Source

[Reviewed and updated November 22, 2024]

Once a forever person and a forever cat find each other, nothing can ever separate them.  ~ Christine Davis

A reader writes: I’m asking for help. I don’t know what to do. I’m completely distraught. My dearest cat Shadow got sick and I had to put her down early last Wednesday morning. She was sneezing when she came to us as a kitten seven years ago, and she always had a problem with her sinuses. She was the smallest of all my cats, but still, she grew into a beautiful girl, playful, friendly and smart. She was totally loving to everybody, very psychically aware and sensitive, a real healer.

Caregiving and Hospice, April 20 - April 26, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

NPR's This American Life takes a look at hospice and end-of-life care on this week's episode 523: 'Death and Taxes,' http://j.mp/1hykxFC « eHospice

Awesome! The Documents You Need, When You Need Them, http://j.mp/1fbF3NI « Paula Span, The New Old Age, The New York Times

Communicating with Healthcare Professionals? How to Stand Your Ground and Get What You Need, http://j.mp/1nNUMBY « by Dr. Arlene Houldin, The Caregiver Space

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 20 - April 26, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Friday Favorite: The Family Lives On Foundation, http://j.mp/1ikdp06 by Litsa Williams, What's Your Grief

An Open Letter to Anyone Who Has Recently Experienced a Loss,  http://j.mp/1iV5C8I « by Samantha Halle, Celebrate You More

After loss: finding comfort in tokens and linking objects, http://j.mp/1nt7Krw « by Harriet Hodgson, Open to Hope

Keeping The Secret of A Terminal Prognosis

Source

[Reviewed and updated August 29, 2024]

If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.  ~ George Orwell in 1984

A reader writes: I am married and the mother of three children. I have been told by my doctors that I have a rare and terminal illness. My husband and children love me and need me, and they do not know that I am dying because I cannot tell them. How can I tell the ones who count on me that I won’t be here for them? How can I tell them that I brought them into the world with love and tears, and now I’m leaving? My husband and children don’t know. I won’t let them know.

Caregiving and Hospice, April 13 - April 19, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

House calls are making a comeback, http://j.mp/1izK2Xp « Milt Freudenheim via The New York Times

Death and doctors who don’t want to talk about it, http://j.mp/1nhaBDS « Best Endings

What to do when the doc won’t refer to hospice, http://j.mp/PfXiEN « Monica Williams-Murphy, MD via It's OK to Die

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 13 - April 19, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Encountering Grief: A 10-Minute Guided Meditation with Joan Halifax http://j.mp/1eM6MUG « On Being

Lovely series: Grief Counseling and Music as Medicine, http://bit.ly/1ngo12X « YouTube

3 Things in Life Are Certain — How Do You Respond to #3? http://j.mp/1phdjLq « Judy Brizendine via Stunned By Grief

Children Grieve Too, But Not The Same As Adults

[Reviewed and updated July 16, 2023]

A child can live with anything as long as he or she is told the truth and is allowed to share with loved ones the natural feelings people have when they are suffering.  ~ Eda LeShan

A reader writes: My grandchild, age 7, lost her mother almost two months ago. The other children have shown some of the "documented" signs of grief, and I understand everyone grieves differently, but I am concerned for her, as she seems to be "begging" for pity much of the time. She has told me more than once that she loves all the spoiling she has been getting as a result of her mother's death.

Caregiving and Hospice, April 6 - April 12, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Doctors need to come face-to-face with death to care for those who are dying, http://j.mp/1qP5RTu « The Conversation

Terminally ill: Wounded by the Language of War http://j.mp/1lQVYnW « The New York Times

Must read! Medicare hospice payment reform: not seeing eye to eye, http://j.mp/1gQ9jrg  GeriPal

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 6 - April 12, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Walking With Those Who Grieve, http://j.mp/1gTNrvd « Personal Growth and Grief Support Center

The Media Overload Detox Diet, http://j.mp/Qduj5B « What's Your Grief?

Lessons learned from loss of a parent: My Graduate, http://j.mp/OPPCsL « Widow's Voice

Blessings Bring Comfort and Peace

Source

By Hal Walzer

[Editor's Note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of National Volunteer Week (April 6 through 12), intended to inspire, recognize and encourage people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. This guest post is written by one such dedicated volunteer.]

Be of service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work, there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.  ~ Gillian Anderson

Caregiving and Hospice, March 30 - April 5, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

The need to stay strong through hospice, http://j.mp/1hFa0br « Caring with Confidence

Brilliant! Geriatrics and Palliative Care Consults via Twitter! http://j.mp/1iglZsC « GeriPal Blog

When it's time to die: National Institutes of Health offers end-of-life resources, http://j.mp/1jsLxXv « The Oregonian   

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 30 - April 5, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

How Can Afterlife Communication Aid The Grieving Process? An Interview With Terri Daniel, http://j.mp/1kd9CUQ « Seven Ponds Blog

Metamorphosis: Reflections on the process of grief, http://j.mp/1fWHL3R « Personal Growth and Grief Support Center

Mother Loss: When Will the Crying Stop? Q & A by Grief Counselor, http://ow.ly/vghoA « Self-Healing Expressions