End of Life

As autumn brings reflection on life and legacy, Answers for Elders Radio host Suzanne Newman welcomes Erica Baccus, author of ''A Promise Kept: Honoring His Wishes, Embracing Our Love.'' This deeply moving memoir shares the story of Erica’s journey with her husband’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis and his request to avoid dying in a vegetative state. Married couples facing the realities of dementia and end-of-life choices will find this conversation both raw and profoundly important.

John Wenderlein joins Suzanne to talk about how he got started as a hospice chaplain and wrote his two books ''Remember Me: End of Life as Seen through the Eyes of a Hospice Chaplain'' and ''Delayed Honor.''

Hospice chaplain John Wenderlein joins Suzanne to talk about how he helps families facilitate having those difficult conversations during end of life care and hospice.

Hospice chaplain John Wenderlein joins Suzanne to talk about learning how to have the conversations to say goodbye to our loved ones at the end of their lives.

This segment talks about what a senior living community needs to know to provide the right help for someone working through the grieving process.

Eventually we all will face the loss of someone we love … and, in time, those who love us will face our loss. There can...

Kelley Smith at CarePartners Senior Living joins Suzanne to talk about grief. With the loss of a loved one, Kelley talks about how to support those who are in the grieving process.

How many of us have lost loved ones during the pandemic, having illnesses resulting from the pandemic, taking care of spouses or loved ones who are struggling? We turn ourselves inside out while caring for a loved one. Kelley shares insights about grief, how people process grief, and how we can be better at supporting and helping those working through the grieving process.

With 9,000 COVID deaths, many of us have lost loved ones recently. Suzanne talks with Cassidy Bastien, an end-of-life doula, about a difficult topic to talk about, the end of life: How to be there for someone when they're dying, and what to say. This segment talks about the family's role, to make sure you know you're loved one's wishes and advocate for them.

There comes a time when you're caregiving a loved one when the time is near, we have an option for hospice care. Hospice is the umbrella of care that surrounds end of life. Eligibility comes down to a significant decline, not eating or walking, or a significant weight loss, with a diagnosis of six months or less to live, and a doctor's referral. If you feel that they qualify, you can ask for an evaluation. It focuses on quality of comfort at end of life.