Category: end of life

We Put Off Planning, Until My Father-in-Law’s Medical Crisis Took Us by Surprise

Although the family patriarch did not face a life-threatening emergency, the episode was a reminder that you have to prepare for a real crisis.

Bereaved Families Are ‘the Secondary Victims of COVID-19’

New research suggests the pandemic’s deaths are taking an enormous toll on surviving family members and worrisome ripple effects may linger for years.

Adding To COVID Stress, Families Of Health Workers Fight For Denied Workers’ Comp Benefits

Attorneys say some state workers’ compensation laws leave workers and families struggling for benefits after a COVID illness or death.

‘I Couldn’t Let Her Be Alone’: A Peaceful Death Amid the COVID Scourge

For three years, staffers at UCLA Health have been quietly fulfilling final wishes for dying patients in the intensive care unit. Amid the isolating forces of the pandemic, their work has become all the more meaningful.

My Mother Died Of The Coronavirus. It’s Time She Was Counted.

Not having an accurate, honest, nationwide way to tally COVID-19 cases will only add to the current tragedy.

Bringing ‘Poogie’ Home: Hospice In The Time Of COVID-19

One family took up the challenge of taking their mother, who had serious medical problems and the coronavirus, from the hospital to die at home. But because of the risk of infection, home hospice can be a daunting experience.

Palliative Care Helped Family Face ‘The Awful, Awful Truth’

Elizabeth and Robert Mar would have celebrated 50 years of marriage in August. Instead, they died within a day of each other. Their two very different deaths illustrate how palliative care is changing to help patients and families cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

Shortfall Of Comfort Care Signals Undue Suffering For Coronavirus Patients

Families worry that overwhelmed hospitals won’t be able to provide palliative care for loved ones stricken with COVID-19.

Sheltered At Home, Families Broach End-Of-Life Planning

Barbara Dreyfuss died March 1 after contracting COVID-19 at a Seattle-area nursing home. Her earlier decision to document her final wishes may offer an example for families as the deadly virus spurs interest in end-of-life care.

Funeral Homes, Families Ponder Deaths In The Age Of COVID-19

As the novel coronavirus marches across the country, it is upending how families and funeral homes honor the dead — and, ultimately, put them to rest.