I met a family the other day who had brought their 91 year old matriarch home from a nursing facility to die. They wanted to honor her wish to die at home, surrounded by family - and surrounded by family she was. There were at least ten family members in the home pitching in to care for her as she died, and each one played an important role.

One daughter was terrified and listened intently to everything that was said; another daughter had been an aide in a hospital and was able to help with the logistics of her care, such as turning their mother and repositioning her in bed; one son was deemed the primary caregiver and would be responsible for giving medications and providing the bulk of her physical care. This dying woman also had a daughter-in-law who took on the role of asking the very detailed, but little thought of questions, and two granddaughters who laid on her bed with her and recalled stories of the past, "Grandma, remember the time we...".

It was a beautiful thing to be a part of. Although this family believed they knew little about how to care for their loved one, they were doing it without even thinking about it - it was instinctual. With a little medical guidance from me paired with the love they had for this special woman, they were able to honor her wishes and provide her with what I would call "a good death".

I've written a new article to help other families that are faced with the task of caring for their dying loved one. It provides information on what they might expect as their loved one journey toward death and tips to help keep their loved one comfortable. If you are a family member or caregiver for someone who is dying, I hope you will find this information helpful.

Acts of Love: Caring for a Dying Loved One

The Dying Process: A Journey

Interacting with a Dying Loved One

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Beginning this fall, Yale University will require medical students, and encourage nursing and divinity students, to participate in a comprehensive palliative and end-of-life care curriculum. The students will work through interactive case studies and communicate with each other on blogs to share their ideas. The interdisciplinary students will also collaborate in workshops to gain insight on working as a team when caring for patients and their families.

According to the press release from Yale, "Students will learn to recognize spiritual distress in a patient and how to conduct an empathetic, respectful open-ended dialogue to help reveal the patient’s concerns, as well as other interventions to provide support and encouragement. The students also will be encouraged to recognize how their own spiritual and cultural beliefs might affect the way they relate to and provide care for patients at the end of life."

Yea for Yale! Let's hope more schools - medical, nursing, divinity, and social work - follow suite.