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Summary: Read BEFORE death is imminent... change lives and deaths
Review: "Final Gifts" was suggested to me after I spoke to an old friend who called to talk to me after being told he had a week to live. There were many gems within which helped me to communicate well with him and his wife (another close friend) in his final week of life.I am very grateful I was able to read this as my friend was dying instead of after he was gone. I strongly suggest people begin reading this book as soon as they know death is possible: before it is imminent. We need to demystify the dying process and stop being afraid of it. This book does a great service in that direction.
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Summary: Helpful and comforting
Review: A friend gave this to me when my mother was dying at home with the wonderful help of Hospice workers. It helped us all get through each day with its gentle insights and good advice. Highly recommended.
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Summary: An Absolute Must Read
Review: A friend of my mother sent us this book while we were spending the final weeks of my father's life taking care of him at home. We had hospice services but they came nowhere near touching on our emotional needs as caregivers. Mom was a nurse and intellectually knew what to expect physically through the dying process. This book helped both of us tremendously. Anyone going through caring and slowly losing someone with a terminal illness needs to read this book. It helps give you the courage to say what needs to be said. You'll still have grief but hopefully, less regrets and more understanding. Dad went through every phase of death, like textbook, as I had read in the book. He died on a Wednesday and we knew the weekend before it would be his last weekend with us. Giving final gifts is the last opportunity to give the best of your love to someone while you still can. This is a book to keep extra copies of to give to someone who needs it when you don't know exactly what to say.
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Summary: The last handbook you'll ever need
Review: All of us will have to experience loss at some point--some more than others. And no amount of religion, soul-searching, friends, or estate and trust planning can really prepare us for the event. Having seen over thirteen of my family members die over the years, not to mention friends and co-workers, I can only say that I wish this book had been available for me then. The insights into dying and the reactions of those around the dying provided by the astute author(s), are quite impressive. But the best thing about this well written book is that it doesn't pander; there is no cheerleading or false hope--only the truth, told in a professional and caring manner. Lately, because of my interest in the subject and how it affects not only those dying, but those around the aged and ill, I've been reading everything I can get my hands on. I've come across two other excellent books on this subject. One is titled "Necessary Losses" and is along the lines of this book. the other was a collection of stories about loss called "The Children's Corner" by Jackson McCrae. Stories about death, be it physical, spiritual, or emotional. Some are acutally quite funny and others are touching. Still others are dark and painful. One story "Crook" deals with Alzheimer's and is moving without being manipulative. All-in-all, two other great books to help you think about dying and the process.
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Summary: HELPED ME TO FEEL NOT QUITE AS SAD
Review: I bought this book after the death of a very good friend. I felt empty and lost and was looking for something to help me to start to understand the logic (or lack of logic) of what had happened. Reading this book helped me to understand better what my friend may have been going through and just gave me the feeling that she is ok now. It is excellantly written by 2 people who obviously care about the work that they do. A sequel would be wonderful.
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Summary: Thank you for this book
Review: I found this book on Amazon soon after my friend was sent home to die. Several of us read it, and it helped us direct our energy from saving his life to easing his transition. This book told us what to expect. Although he was enrolled in hospice, I think we learned more from this book than from his caregivers. When he was agitated, we knew it was part of his transition, and when he said that he needed a ride home, we knew where he was going. He knew that we loved him, and that it was okay to let go. He died peacefully at home, for which I will always be grateful. I think it eases our grief to know that we gave him every final gift that we could. The information in this book matched our experience at every step, and increased my acceptance of death as a natural part of life.
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Summary: Final Gifts - a must read book!
Review: I read the book on the year anniversary of my father's death. It was well-written. It was highly recommended by a colleague and is a very moving book written by these hospice nurses. A must read for BEFORE the dying process, but helpful for after the death of a loved one!
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Summary: Written by Hospice Nurses
Review: I read this book after my father's death on June 5, 1998, and found comfort in its pages because the shared experiences helped me to better understand the territory that my mother, younger sister and I traversed as caregivers in my Dad's final months, days, hours, minutes. This book is a must-read for anyone who has a loved one who is dying. It is also an excellent resource for all nurses, but especially those who work with ICU, CCU or geriatric patients. I respond to email sent by others who are in grief.
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Summary: Christians Beware
Review: Most of the other reviewers indicated how hopeful the book made them feel. I admit that it would make everyone feel good about death. However, Christians who may be thinking of buying this book for a loved one should be aware that this book strongly implies that it makes no difference what you believe... life after death is a wonderful experience for all. The book gives examples of atheists, Hindus and other non-Christians having Near Death Awareness experiences that are wonderful and loving. The danger in this is that a dying person would have no reason to come to Christ and be saved if he or she is led to believe that it makes no difference what one believes. I am commenting on this aspect of the book because I did not see that anyone else mentioned it and I think people should be aware of this before deciding whether to purchase the book.
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Summary: A MUST-READ for those dealing with a terminal illness...
Review: My family was ever-so fortunate to have Maggie Callanan as the hospice nurse for our father, when he was dying of Stomach Cancer back in 1993. At the time, we were introduced to Maggie via a Catholic Priest who had worked with Maggie in a Hospice facility, and thought the world of her. Maggie's words of wisdom to us in person, and through her book 'Final Gifts' helped us to understand and to appreciate the process of dying, and indeed the gifts of love that it can bring, so long as you are looking for the right signs. Since my father's death, I have given 'Final Gifts' to numerous people, who all agree that it was helpful as well as healing.
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