Penny Smith

earlier on, they like to have the bigger numbers, they want to know there's more time left, because they're still appreciating that person being in their life. But once they get into that actively dying phase, and they know what's going to happen, that's when it's a little more difficult when they're kind of, I don't want to say wishing that their person would die, but waiting for that to happen.

And that feels so wrong to people to be waiting for their person to die.

And that feels so wrong to people to be waiting for their person to die.

And that feels so wrong to people to be waiting for their person to die.

There's nothing you can really do. Yeah. You're not communicating with them. They're not communicating with you. You can still talk to them. There's been studies that have shown that people who are dying can still hear up until the last moment of death. So we encourage families to talk with them, lie with them, be with them.

There's nothing you can really do. Yeah. You're not communicating with them. They're not communicating with you. You can still talk to them. There's been studies that have shown that people who are dying can still hear up until the last moment of death. So we encourage families to talk with them, lie with them, be with them.

There's nothing you can really do. Yeah. You're not communicating with them. They're not communicating with you. You can still talk to them. There's been studies that have shown that people who are dying can still hear up until the last moment of death. So we encourage families to talk with them, lie with them, be with them.

One of the most compassionate things I ever witnessed was when, first of all, let me preface this by saying, I don't like euphemisms. I don't like to say passed away, gone to heaven. I've seen how confusing that can be for people when they're stressed out and emotional about what's going on with their person. You know, we use the words death, dying, died. It's important to use those words.

One of the most compassionate things I ever witnessed was when, first of all, let me preface this by saying, I don't like euphemisms. I don't like to say passed away, gone to heaven. I've seen how confusing that can be for people when they're stressed out and emotional about what's going on with their person. You know, we use the words death, dying, died. It's important to use those words.

One of the most compassionate things I ever witnessed was when, first of all, let me preface this by saying, I don't like euphemisms. I don't like to say passed away, gone to heaven. I've seen how confusing that can be for people when they're stressed out and emotional about what's going on with their person. You know, we use the words death, dying, died. It's important to use those words.

And people will say to me, well, it's just a lot nicer to say passed away. It's just more compassionate to say passed away. And I always say, you can say that somebody died or somebody is dying really compassionately. Like, I don't walk in and say, oh, he's about to kick the bucket. There's a way to be really compassionate. And I was working with a nurse at the hospice care center.

And people will say to me, well, it's just a lot nicer to say passed away. It's just more compassionate to say passed away. And I always say, you can say that somebody died or somebody is dying really compassionately. Like, I don't walk in and say, oh, he's about to kick the bucket. There's a way to be really compassionate. And I was working with a nurse at the hospice care center.

And people will say to me, well, it's just a lot nicer to say passed away. It's just more compassionate to say passed away. And I always say, you can say that somebody died or somebody is dying really compassionately. Like, I don't walk in and say, oh, he's about to kick the bucket. There's a way to be really compassionate. And I was working with a nurse at the hospice care center.

I was a fairly new nurse. She was really experienced. And our patient transitioned and was now actively dying. And so we could see he's probably not going to live very long. People, they maintain kind of the same trajectory on this pathway. So if they transition really quickly, they usually move towards death really quickly. If it takes longer, it's kind of a slower decline.

I was a fairly new nurse. She was really experienced. And our patient transitioned and was now actively dying. And so we could see he's probably not going to live very long. People, they maintain kind of the same trajectory on this pathway. So if they transition really quickly, they usually move towards death really quickly. If it takes longer, it's kind of a slower decline.

I was a fairly new nurse. She was really experienced. And our patient transitioned and was now actively dying. And so we could see he's probably not going to live very long. People, they maintain kind of the same trajectory on this pathway. So if they transition really quickly, they usually move towards death really quickly. If it takes longer, it's kind of a slower decline.

So we saw that he was transitioning really fast and that he was going to be dying soon. And his daughter was freaking out. What's happening? What's happening? And this nurse went over to her and she was six feet tall and she looked down at this lady and took her hands in her hands and she looked into her eyes and she said, he's dying. Be with him.

So we saw that he was transitioning really fast and that he was going to be dying soon. And his daughter was freaking out. What's happening? What's happening? And this nurse went over to her and she was six feet tall and she looked down at this lady and took her hands in her hands and she looked into her eyes and she said, he's dying. Be with him.

So we saw that he was transitioning really fast and that he was going to be dying soon. And his daughter was freaking out. What's happening? What's happening? And this nurse went over to her and she was six feet tall and she looked down at this lady and took her hands in her hands and she looked into her eyes and she said, he's dying. Be with him.

And she walked her over and she sat her next to him and she put her hand in her dad's hand and she just was able to relax. And then she was able to sit with him until he died. And it was just the most compassionate thing I've ever seen. And she used the word, you know. I just took you all over the place with that. No, that's okay. We went from actively dying to anticipatory grief to euphemisms.