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Summary: A Priceless Treasure in a Diffucult Time...
Review: Everyone should read this book, not only those people who are dealing with terminal illness. This book contains many practical suggestions for the loved ones of a dying person - how to listen, what to say, how to decipher what appears to be dementia, the signs of impending death, what most people experience as they die, etc. This book helped me to clear up my own misconceptions and to become knowledgeable on the topic of hospice care and death. I can only imagine how many mistakes I would have made if I wouldn't have read this book. The death of a loved one is still very difficult, but this book has provided me with so much comfort, insight, and peace that it is well worth the price.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: This book is an excellent book that answers many of the questions you might have about the process of dying.
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Summary: I just keep giving this book away as a resource.....
Review: Death has been a part of my personal and professional life ever since I can remember. Having worked as a hospice nurse, I found many of these truths that this book contains out for myself before I ever read the book. When I became fortunate enough to read this book, I became one of its greatest fans. Truth is, I have given this book to so many individuals as gifts.....I always tried to keep one on hand for me but I just kept giving it away....as it is so very, very helpful. One of these days, I will designate a copy of this book as my own personal book and truly keep it for myself.
I have a website ... that is designed to cover some similar material that this book contains. To anyone who is grieving or been through the process, read this book before someone you love dearly dies. It is so enlightening and helpful and really tells it like it is.
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Summary: Source of information and comfort
Review: I read this book a few months before my mother's death and have since recommended it to several friends and acquaintances faced with the death of a relative or friend. This book helped me to listen to my mother attentively and to hear things I believe I would have missed. I say this because my conversations with her often mirrored the descriptions of the hospice-nurse authors. I was also able to say things to my mother that I would have hesitated to had I not read the book.
I heartily recommend this to anyone involved with a dying friend or relative, or to anyone who is interested in a view into the experience.
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Summary: Tops All others
Review: This may sound corny but if you just read one book this is the one. I had read many books about caregiving while taking care of my 90 year old Grandmother but I thank God that 6 months before she passed away I read this book. It changed my whole attitude and helped me cope in the most stressful time of my life. I know my reading this book was a benefit to my Grandmother also. Death is a difficult thing to understand and this book honestly shows you the path.
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Summary: Final Gifts, "Must Read" for survivors of the terminally ill
Review: Even if you are not religious, Final Gifts will give you insight as to how to behave and what to do and say when someone you love is dying. I wish I had read this book BEFORE the most traumatic event of my life took place. In reading it afterward, I realized how I could have broached the subject of terminal illness and all the things it brings with it, much better, without upsetting the person who was ill, and therefore, have answered some of the questions that I now have to deal with alone.
I do not personally believe that dying people really see "God" or other deceased family members calling them home. I feel that it is more that their brain (provided they do not suffer from Alzheimers' - which none of the examples did) remembers things from the past and that the body's natural mechanism in the brain for making dying not painful, provides the vignettes they see that make them think they are going to heaven (i.e. - the bright white light, etc) This book is really for the survivor, and will make you feel as though you did and said all you could for the dying person.
It is worth reading NOW.
At this time, I am also reading books on how to survive after your spouse dies, and I will do reviews on those as well.
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Summary: Finally, a reason to listen carefully and compassionately...
Review: Too often we lose intimacy with those we love because we stop listening to them. Perhaps out of fear, ignorance, or both, we sometimes abandon those we love when they need us most. This book provides incentive to listen carefully, and for that reason alone, it will be a blessing to many.
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Summary: Best Tool for Coping with My Dad's Death from Cancer
Review: Death is not something we talk about much in our society - it's taboo. Especially when my Dad was fighting his second round of cancer, we didn't discuss death because we were so focused on positive reinforcement. Dad's chemo and radiation were going great, but when his death came it came quickly and there was no stopping it. This book helped me understand what happened the weekend he died in the hospital (he was only being treated for dehydration from a strong dose of chemo); how and why he chose who to die in front of; what he saw waiting for him, and more.
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Summary: An Intelligent and Beautifully Written Book
Review: I took a college class on Death and Dying a few years back and this was one of the books we were required to read. I can honestly say that it really changed my view of dying in a positive way. It was not the easiest book I've ever read (I still remember reading it on my lunch break and crying right in the middle of a very busy Wendy's restaurant), but definitely one of the most useful. I can't tell you how many people I have loaned this to - people who have just experienced death, and those who are caring for a loved one who is near death. In fact, I bought a copy of this book and donated it to my church in hopes that others will find comfort in reading it. The people I have loaned it to who had already lost a loved one said they wished they would have read it sooner so they could have better understood the stages their loved one went through before passing away. Needless to say, my original copy from college is pretty dog-eared, so I'm going to buy another for myself and one to have around when a friend needs it.
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Summary: PLEASE buy this book if you know someone who is dying
Review: There are some who say that the utterings of a dying person are the "morphine" talking- and this book helps you to see that is not at all the case. I just lost my mom to cancer and the insight and suggestions given in this book helped me to gain enormous peace as a result of the conversations I had with my mom in the days before she died. As someone who is terminally ill gets close to the time they will die, they say things that seem to make no sense. Had I not read this book, I would have let go of opportunities to learn from my mom in the days before she left us. The book essentially guides you in how to take the comments made by the patient and go with them- to get the patient to tell you more. As a result of this book I was able to learn that my mom- who all her life had been terrified of dying- had seen God and knew she was going to be all right. The book also tells you what to expect in terms of what occurs in the patient as they near death: both physically, psychologically, and spiritually. If you have someone in your life who is dying- buy this book. It helped me to talk with my mom through her utterings and see that she was at peace as she approached her own death. I can't say enough good things about this book- it is well worth the money. Even though your loved one is gone, when you have communicated with the dying, you gain a peace about where they have gone that can't be matched- as a direct result of working with what they said and what they experienced and saw as they approached death.
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