It can be stressful and overwhelming when you or a loved one face a terminal illness and the decisions that come with end-of-life and palliative care. However, you are not alone. In addition to the one-on-one support of our hospice care team, there are many great books we recommend as you navigate this next chapter.
Helpful Hospice Books for Families About End-of-Life
Active Home Health, Hospice, and Personal Care has curated the following list as a helpful reference for families wanting to know more about hospice care, end-of-life, and more. These books are great resources for nurses, families, or loved ones looking for practical advice or a deeper understanding of the hows and whys behind this final journey. The following books about death, grief, and end-of-life care are resources that can greatly benefit the emotional experience of caregivers and patients.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
Practicing Surgeon Atul Gawande brings together fascinating research and personal stories from his practice and family to study how modern medicine, despite its triumphs and successes, often fails its patients during aging and death. Gawande bravely recognizes the shortcomings of modern medicine’s approach to dying and end-of-life care. He believes “the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life―all the way to the very end.”
Fast Facts for the Hospice Nurse: A Concise Guide to End-of-Life Care by Patricia Moyle Wright
Wright has practical and educational experience in hospice care and offers valuable advice for hospice nurses and those providing hospice care to loved ones. She covers the essential elements in the compassionate and holistic care of terminally ill patients and their families.
No Time for Goodbyes: Coping with Sorrow, Anger, and Injustice After a Tragic Death by Janice Harris Lord
Lord combines insight into grief with practical legal and financial information to provide a helpful resource for survivors looking to navigate sorrow and anger after the tragic death of a loved one.
Dying Well: Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life by Ira Byock, MD
Dr. Ira Byock is a prominent palliative care physician whose goal is to have nobody die in pain or alone. In his book, he shares true stories from his experiences to provide families guidance on how to deal with doctors, talk to loved ones, and offer a meaningful ending to life.
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Dr. Paul Kalanithi was on the verge of completing his training as a neurosurgeon when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He wrote this memoir during the last year of his life to explore death and life leading up to an end that he did not expect so soon.
My Friend, I Care: The Grief Experience by Barbara Karnes
Experienced hospice nurse and internationally renowned authority on mourning and grief, Barbara Karnes created this short booklet to offer a roadmap to friends and family experiencing a loss. Karnes’ work addresses and normalizes the stages of grief while offering suggestions for moving forward past fear, anger, or anxiety. Easy to read and featuring simple, straightforward explanations, this is a comforting guide for those just beginning the bereavement process.
Utah Hospice Care: Actively Serving Through Life’s Final Journey
At Active Home Health, Hospice, and Personal Care, we believe in quality, comfortable care at the end of life. To this end, we offer Utah hospice or palliative care that supports your choices in the final months or weeks of life. Contact us today to see if hospice is right for you.
