Comments on: My Mother, Pat Manning http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2012/05/12/my-mother-pat-manning/ End-of-Life Choice, Palliative Care and Counseling Sun, 29 Jul 2012 05:06:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: christine courtney http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2012/05/12/my-mother-pat-manning/#comment-720 christine courtney Fri, 08 Jun 2012 01:21:43 +0000 http://blog.compassionandchoices.org/?p=2521#comment-720 What a beautiful gift your mom gave ya'll. Such love! What a beautiful gift your mom gave ya’ll. Such love!

]]> By: Deb Darby http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2012/05/12/my-mother-pat-manning/#comment-719 Deb Darby Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:28:20 +0000 http://blog.compassionandchoices.org/?p=2521#comment-719 Jane What a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it. Your mother did indeed give you and your siblings a great gift, allowing you all to draw closer to each other at the end of her life versus entering it in crisis mode. I've been volunteering for C&C for several years now and have been an end of life advocate for 15 years. Mostly I'm just the one non-anxious presence in the room, someone people can talk to about death (their own or a loved one's) in a comfortable way. The end of life need not be a crisis, if only more of us were like your mom. Yesterday I was waiting for a friend in a surgical waiting room when I saw a family get bad news from the doctor. They were devastated. It was clear they were unprepared and sadly no hospital personnel were there in any capacity...they got the news and then they sat and cried, in shock, wondering what to do next. By letting our families and friends know exactly what we want (many times over their protests that we're being macabre!) we allow them some slight prep time. And a plan is in place. I know our state board president hopes to become part of the end of life team, to bring end of life care and choices into the healthcare continuum in a big way. I'm hoping she's able to pull it off! I wanted to go and talk to that family, to tell them how wonderful hospice can be (we can ONLY HOPE the doc mentioned it to them...) but alas, they didn't need a stranger interferring, even a well-intentioned one. So we all suffered with them for long moments. Again, thank you for letting us know that we can make things easier for those we love. Best, Deb Darby Jane

What a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing it. Your mother did indeed give you and your siblings a great gift, allowing you all to draw closer to each other at the end of her life versus entering it in crisis mode.

I’ve been volunteering for C&C for several years now and have been an end of life advocate for 15 years. Mostly I’m just the one non-anxious presence in the room, someone people can talk to about death (their own or a loved one’s) in a comfortable way. The end of life need not be a crisis, if only more of us were like your mom.

Yesterday I was waiting for a friend in a surgical waiting room when I saw a family get bad news from the doctor. They were devastated. It was clear they were unprepared and sadly no hospital personnel were there in any capacity…they got the news and then they sat and cried, in shock, wondering what to do next. By letting our families and friends know exactly what we want (many times over their protests that we’re being macabre!) we allow them some slight prep time. And a plan is in place.

I know our state board president hopes to become part of the end of life team, to bring end of life care and choices into the healthcare continuum in a big way. I’m hoping she’s able to pull it off! I wanted to go and talk to that family, to tell them how wonderful hospice can be (we can ONLY HOPE the doc mentioned it to them…) but alas, they didn’t need a stranger interferring, even a well-intentioned one. So we all suffered with them for long moments.

Again, thank you for letting us know that we can make things easier for those we love.

Best,

Deb Darby

]]> By: Nancy McGlinchey http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2012/05/12/my-mother-pat-manning/#comment-718 Nancy McGlinchey Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:23:37 +0000 http://blog.compassionandchoices.org/?p=2521#comment-718 How fortunate to have a peaceful death. I am now 79 and have made my wishes clear to my three children. However, there is one issue I cannot resolve and that is the issue of Alzheimers Disease. As the mind deteriorates, the body does not necessarily follow suit and if this should happen to me, how do my children prevent a prolonged and agonizing mental death that might take years. I wonder if there is a directive that can peacefully and mercifully (and legally) end the life of a lost Alzheimer patient? How fortunate to have a peaceful death. I am now 79 and have made my wishes clear to my three children. However, there is one issue I cannot resolve and that is the issue of Alzheimers Disease. As the mind deteriorates, the body does not necessarily follow suit and if this should happen to me, how do my children prevent a prolonged and agonizing mental death that might take years. I wonder if there is a directive that can peacefully and mercifully (and legally) end the life of a lost Alzheimer patient?

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