End-of-Life Experiences: Advice for Caregivers

Patricia Pearson

Patricia Pearson, MSc

Abstract

It is common, in hospice and palliative care settings, for family members, friends, or other caregivers to be offered resource material about what to expect from the dying process. The aim is to reassure caregivers that these developments are normal so that they don’t feel alarmed or even responsible in some way. However, a gap existed in the available resource material. The dying process is, of course, psychological as well as physical, and often features subjective experiences. Caregivers deserve to be reassured that it is normal for them to occur. After consulting with hospice physicians and nurses, I discovered that the phenomena described regularly occur and can be viewed and described in a completely neutral way.

Author Biography

Patricia Pearson, MSc

Patricia Pearson, MSc, is a journalist, and the author of six books that have been translated into a dozen languages. Her most recent book, Opening Heaven’s Door: What the Dying May be Trying to Tell Us About Where They’re Going, investigates meaning-making at the end of life. She guest-lectures at the University of Toronto, and runs workshops on storytelling and grief.