Photo credit: Ross Taylor
It's never easy to make decisions regarding what your pet's quality of life is. There will be good days and bad days throughout the hospice journey. This link is to a quality of life assessment from Ohio State University which may be helpful in visualizing an overall quality of life score,
It's never easy to make decisions regarding what your pet's quality of life is. There will be good days and bad days throughout the hospice journey. This link is to a quality of life assessment from Ohio State University which may be helpful in visualizing an overall quality of life score,
Saying goodbye to a beloved friend is a heart wrenching experience. Often for our furry friends we end up in a situation where we must make the decision to end their lives. While having the ability to choose euthanasia (a good, peaceful death) can be a blessing, it often feels like a curse as well. We humans were not designed to feel comfortable taking another’s life – even if it may be for good reasons. It is normal and natural to be conflicted and have feelings of guilt when trying to decide what is best, and more importantly when is best.
This beautiful article is about a woman who went through (human) hospice while her husband was dying from liver cancer and how that experience changed her life. While animal hospice is a little different, the same principles apply - we're caring for the patient while helping the family through a very difficult time.
”This is not about death,” ... “This is about living. This is about making the most of the time - the finite amount of time that all of us have left.”
Article link here: Breaking the Stigma of Hospice Care: ‘It’s not about death.’
We all have been in situations where we are confronted with a person suffering a loss. This can be tough – for everyone. What do you say? You want to say something that will make them feel better but if you say the wrong thing it can make them feel much worse. So, what to do in this situation?
Say nothing.
Just listen.
Acknowledge their pain.
Clicking the image below will take you to a very good (and short) article about how we tend to try to make it better by showing that it could be worse. It’s called “conversational narcissism” and unless we are self-aware in the moment I think we all are prone. So, take a moment to read this. You will improve your conversational skills and be more prepared the next time a grieving friend needs support.