Denial will not stop the inevitable...

This week was a reminder not to wait to have the "talk" with your parents or other aging loved ones. What are their wishes in the last stages of their life?

The mother of a friend had terminal cancer and was no longer eating. Her husband rushed her to the hospital where he was told his wife was actively dying. Family members were aware she was declining, but they deferred to the husband. The hospital put her on palliative care and she passed in less than 48 hours.

The family knew she wanted to pass at home, but they were unable to make that happen with no plans in place. So not only is the family experiencing grief over her passing, but they know that her wishes were not met. They didn't even have a mortuary lined up.

Please encourage families that you work with to open a dialogue about these "next steps". It is a great source of comfort to the grieving families to know they have honored their loved ones wishes. An excellent resource to start with is FiveWishes.org. This makes it comfortable to begin this conversation.