Reply #74: My Mom had home hospice when she died 1/12/06

[KBlagburn]

She was 85 and died Jan 12 2006. She had hospice the last four months she lived. They provided most meds. She died on thursday a.m. On monday prior all meds were discontinued by her doc except morphine drops. We gave her water through a dropper until she started the "death rattle".
Her kidneys shut down more than a week before she died so she did not need water except to keep her mouth moist. We also used the foam lolipops.

Moma did not have any disease except congestive heart failure. She died mainly because it was her time and her body began to shut down. Hospice was a great comfort. They were there when needed. They were with us (her 7 kids, her 2 sisters, and the grandkids.) when she died. They let us know up front how the process would happen. What steps her body would take to prepare for death. When it happened we were fully prepared for the physical but not the emotional. No matter how much time you have to prepare, no matter how much info you have, no matter how much help you have, NOTHING can prepare you for watching your Moma die.

Hospice was wonderful. They gave her, her last bath after she died. They contacted the doc, the coroner, and the funeral home, so that we did not have to make those awful calls. And they stayed until the funeral home carried her away.

I cannot say enough good things about hopice.

They enabled us to spend our last days with Moma in peace, with family @ home. Rather than with strangers in a waiting room.

May God bless all who work with Hospice, thier work, and thier families.
This truly is a special calling from God.

Edit: My moma stopped eating Dec 26th, we had to spoon feed her and she would only take a bite. Her last two weeks she did not eat a full plate of food total. she would only take water from a dropper. But she did not become totally bed ridden until 3 days b4 she died.