I’ll Hold Your Hand

Richard Wolfe, md, with a patient in Rainbow Hospice’s in-patient unit at AMITA Health Resurrection Medical Center Chicago. Photo courtesy of Amita health

Providing peace and support through hospice care A little more than six years ago, Sandy Downs sat down with her husband of 47 years, Perry, and gave it to him straight: She wanted him to be honest with her about her disease. Perry was surprised. “She never wanted to talk about her disease,” he says, […]

Palliative Care is for Anyone with a Serious Illness, No Matter the Long-Term Outlook

Palliative care: Older woman, smiling, being pushed down hallway in wheelchair by smiling female caregiver

Mayo Clinic Q&A DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What’s the difference between palliative care and hospice care? ANSWER: People often confuse palliative care and hospice care, thinking they are the same thing. But they’re not. Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for anyone who has a serious illness. Hospice care is a form of palliative […]

End-of-Life Care: The Conversation That Can’t Wait

Woman in hospital bed with man seated in chair

By Heidi Lading Kiec Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” This quote, found in many leadership books, is applicable to a host of situations, but it’s especially relevant to individuals and their loved ones facing end-of-life […]

Not Quite the End of the Road

Palliative and hospice care are more about family-centered care that provides comfort and compassionBy Karen Schwartz When Tom Donausky’s mother Frances took a turn for the worse at Smith Crossing, a nursing home in Orland Park, where she was first admitted in November 2011, the professionals suggested hospice. But it wasn’t quite time for that. […]