smiling man playing guitar

5 Benefits of Music Therapy in Hospice

| Hospice | No Comments
If you or a loved one are receiving end-of-life care, you may be looking for ways to bring a little joy to each day. Hospice care is focused on managing…
Two mature women sitting together outside, one comforting the other

Anticipatory Grief and How to Cope

| For Caregivers & Families, Grief & Loss | No Comments
Have you heard of anticipatory grief? If you have a terminally ill loved one, you may already be experiencing its effects. To help you better understand what you're feeling and…
couple laughing in hospice care

4 Benefits of Laughter for Hospice Patients and Their Families

| For Caregivers & Families, Hospice | No Comments
When you or someone you love receives a terminal diagnosis, laughter may be the last thing on your mind. As the transition to end-of-life care begins, you may feel overwhelmed…
Assortment of medical supplies, like gauze, bandages, and scissors

Does Hospice Care Include Medical Supplies & Equipment?

| For Caregivers & Families, Hospice | No Comments
For most families, hospice care takes place right inside the home. But your home isn’t a medical facility – how do you access the medical equipment and supplies needed to…
older woman in hospital bed receiving care from nurse

When is it Time for Hospice Care?

| For Caregivers & Families, Hospice | No Comments
Choosing hospice care can be a difficult decision. Often, the conversation is hard and can bring a weight of reality to your situation. Even so, choosing end-of-life care may be…
illustrates how patient can benefit from respite care

What is Hospice Respite Care?

| For Caregivers & Families, Hospice | No Comments
Caring for a terminally ill loved one is often equal parts rewarding and exhausting - physically, mentally, and emotionally. There are some amazing days where you make meaningful memories that…

How to Prepare for a Funeral Preplanning Appointment

| Estate Planning, Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
If you've recently received a terminal diagnosis, now is the time to make your final wishes known (if you haven't already). With everything else going on, preplanning may feel daunting,…
Illustrates how an elderly woman receives hospice care at home

Where Can You Receive Hospice Care?

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If you or a loved one have been dealing with an illness for a while, the words “hospice care” may strike your heart with fear and sadness. You may feel…
shows man talking to his doctor about his health

What are the Four Levels of Hospice Care?

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Every person’s life situation and illness are different. One person may have a large family that will split care duties, while another person may have one child and a close…
Man and wife receiving a doctor's care at home

What’s the Difference Between Palliative Care and Hospice Care?

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If you or a loved one have recently entered hospice care, all of the jargon and terminology may feel daunting and foreign. For many people, two terms that often become confusing are palliative care and hospice…
Show funeral director helping couple through the planning process

What Do Funeral Directors Do?

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
With a loved one in hospice care, it's possible that you may be planning a final tribute sometime in the near future. But what exactly do funeral directors do, and…
Woman standing next to casket while holding white lilies

Simple Ways to Personalize the 7 Elements of a Funeral

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
With a loved on in hospice care, you may feel a little overwhelmed with the idea of planning a funeral or memorial service. That’s okay. So many of us have…
Man looking out window, friend places comforting hand on shoulder

Self-Care Recommendations When Someone You Love is Dying

| For Caregivers & Families | No Comments
If you have a friend or loved one who is dying, you’re likely dealing with a lot of feelings right now: sadness, shock, disbelief, anger, anxiety. It’s normal to experience…
At home nurse helping female patient get out of bed, helping put on cardigan

What are the Eligibility Requirements for Hospice Care?

| Hospice | No Comments
If you’re reading this, you or a loved one have either recently received a terminal diagnosis or have experienced a sudden decline in health. Most likely, your entire family is…
Nurse helping elderly woman move with walker

What Services Does Hospice Provide?

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If you’ve never had to look into hospice care before, you may feel a little out of your element. One of the big questions on your mind may be, “What…
Husband talking to wife as she lies in hospital bed

8 Tips for Helping Your Family Through a Family Member’s Terminal Diagnosis

| For Caregivers & Families | No Comments
Learning that a member of your family is dying is often the most devastating news a family can receive. Your family is starting a journey they didn’t ask for and…
Grandparents, parents, and two kids wallking outside together and enjoying time

What to Consider when Estate Planning for a Blended Family

| Estate Planning | No Comments
As you look ahead and realize that you will be in hospice care for a while, it may be time to start getting things taken care of. Now, more than…
Cemetery images with beautifully manicured graves to illustrate other interment options

Understanding Your Interment Options

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
Whether you’ve entered hospice care and want to put your final wishes in writing, or you’re planning a meaningful service for a loved one, the ins and outs of funeral…

Selecting the Right Funeral Home for Your Family’s Needs

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
With a loved one entering hospice care, you will need a team of people to help you in the coming days, weeks, and months. One person you should consider including…
Two roses and music sheets laying on piano keys

Top 10 Hymns for a Funeral or Memorial Service

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Whether you’re in hospice care yourself or are with a loved one receiving care, an important conversation to have is how to honor life and legacy through a personalized and…
Urn in prominent place, surrounded by greenery, with mourners standing nearby

Understanding the 6 Purposes of a Funeral

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Now that your loved one has entered hospice care, it’s time to start talking to them about their funeral wishes, if you haven’t already done so. The conversation may feel…
Focus on woman's hands as she signs documents on a clipboard

How to Prepare for a Funeral Arrangement Conference

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
Are you facing the imminent loss of a loved one in hospice care? When the time comes, the emotions of grief may hit you hard. These feelings vary from person…
Two men in uniform folding the American flag

Requesting Military Honors

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
If you or a loved one are a veteran in hospice care, then you may be wondering about the process for requesting military honors at the funeral or memorial. The…
Woman wearing orange sweater sitting at table with laptop, checking on her digital accounts

How to Complete Your Digital Estate Planning

| Estate Planning | No Comments
If you or a loved one are in hospice care, you have the opportunity to ensure that your family is aware of your wishes for your estate. While you have…
Folded legal will sitting on table near coffee mug, pen, and eyeglasses

How to Avoid Common Pitfalls When Writing a Legal Will

| Estate Planning | No Comments
If you or a loved one are entering into hospice care without a written legal will, you may be wondering: “How do I get started?” and “How do I make…
Bible laying open on wooden table

15 Bible Verses to Bring Comfort During Hospice

| For Caregivers & Families, Grief & Loss | No Comments
When you or a loved one are entering into hospice care, you may experience a wide variety of emotions: sadness, anger, shock, denial, relief, and guilt, to name a few.…
Woman sitting at her desk, holding phone in both hands as she looks at the screen

How to Create a Facebook or Instagram Memorial Page

| Estate Planning | No Comments
With a loved one in hospice care, it’s important to ask some of the tough questions, especially if you’re unsure of the answers. Has your loved one completed a will?…
Woman wearing black and holding red rose as she stands beside a dark wood casket covered in flowers

7 Building Blocks for a Meaningful Funeral Service

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
“People who take the time and make the effort to create meaningful funeral arrangements when someone loved dies often end up making new arrangements in their own lives. They remember…
Person filling out Social Security Benefits Application Form

Understanding Social Security Survivor Benefits

| Estate Planning | No Comments
If you or a loved one are in hospice care, you may be wondering about what kinds of Social Security survivor’s benefits are available for the family after a loss.…
Young woman sitting by window, looking out and thinking quietly

Recognizing Disenfranchised Grief

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
If you’ve  recently lost a loved one or you have a loved one currently in hospice care, you may be wondering about how “normal” your feelings of grief are. It’s important…
Young woman sitting on couch opening a box and smiling

How a Memory Capsule Can Help Your Family Grieve

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
Sometimes, words aren’t enough to fully express what you feel or say what you mean. In the times when words are inadequate, participating in healing rituals and actions plays a…
Open laptop sitting on desk with notepad and pen nearby

7 Tips to Simplify Digital Estate Planning

| Estate Planning | No Comments
As you or a loved one moves into hospice care, it’s time to start thinking about digital estate planning. By leaving behind specific instructions, you can save family members from…
Parents and two teenagers wearing black and carrying funeral roses

How to Personalize the 7 Elements of a Funeral

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
If you are caring for a loved one in hospice, you may be wondering…how can I honor my loved one’s life and memory? How can I make the celebration of…
Woman sitting in bed in dark room, hands massaging temples, unable to sleep

6 Tips for Getting Enough Sleep After a Loss

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
Sleep is essential for human beings. Without it, your mind and body will quickly begin to show the negative effects of sleeplessness. As you’ve cared for your loved one through…
Camera sitting on top of photo album

How to Use Photos to Personalize a Service

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
Whether you’ve recently lost a loved one or you are helping a loved one in hospice care make final arrangements, a personalized funeral or memorial service is key to remembering…
Mother and adult daughter sitting on couch talking and smiling

6 Things to Share with Your Emergency Contacts

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If you have entered hospice care, it’s important to make sure that your emergency contacts know certain things about your health and wishes. An emergency contact is a trustworthy person…
Shadowed man looking out window, hand on head, regretful

6 Normal Reactions to the Loss of a Loved One

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
Even if you knew a loved one’s death was coming, you will experience a wide range of emotions when faced with the death someone you love. And those emotions aren’t…
Older man and wife standing at kitchen counter looking over documents

7 Ways to Pay for Hospice Care

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Facing a terminal illness brings many worries and concerns but paying for end-of-life care shouldn’t be one of them. Thankfully, there are many ways to pay for hospice, and many…
Older man sitting quietly on stone steps as he thinks

Processing & Accepting Your Terminal Diagnosis

| For Caregivers & Families, Hospice | No Comments
You’ve just received the news you’ve been dreading ever since you had that first appointment: your medical condition is terminal. Right now, you may be feeling so many emotions –…
Two people reviewing legal will and other documentation

6 Compelling Reasons to Write Your Will

| Estate Planning | No Comments
Perhaps unconsciously, we often think we have years to write a will, but if you or a loved one are entering hospice, the time to write a will and protect…

5 Reasons Why You Should Keep a Grief Journal

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
Grief is an inescapable part of life. As human beings, we possess deep, complex, multi-faceted emotions, and it’s our responsibility to learn how we individually need to process those emotions.…
Woman standing at easel, painting on canvas

Grief & the Power of Creative Expression

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
After losing a loved one, whether they spent months in hospice care or mere days, sometimes talking about your grief isn’t enough. Maybe your words don’t fully say what you…
Man playing guitar, focus on strings and hands

10 Songs for a Meaningful Final Tribute

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
Whether you’re in hospice care yourself or are with a loved one receiving care, now is the time to have the conversation about how to honor life and legacy through…
Older husband and wife sitting at beach, peacefully looking at the water

Grief & the Six Needs of Mourning

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
After months, weeks, or days of hospice care, your loved one has died. At this point, you may be experiencing a wide range of complex and sometimes confusing feelings. These…
Man sitting on rock outcropping, resting and recharging in nature

Caring for Yourself When Caring for a Loved One in Hospice

| For Caregivers & Families | No Comments
If you are caring for a loved one in hospice, you may be so preoccupied with your family member’s condition that you have very little time to process your own…
Middle-aged man sitting at computer in his bright, clean home

Writing a Great Obituary

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
If you are taking care of a loved one in hospice, you may be wondering, “What can I do now, before the death occurs, to make things easier?” That is…
Person sitting on couch, reading and holding coffee

10 of the Best Books on Grief

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
Perhaps your loved one’s journey with hospice has been long and difficult. Maybe it’s been so quick you’ve barely had time to process what is happening. Whatever the case, grief…
Older man sitting at computer, writing notes in notebook

Helping a Loved One Get Their Affairs in Order

| Estate Planning | No Comments
The worst has happened, and your loved one has entered hospice care. While much of your time will be spent caring for your loved one, now is also the time…
Upset young woman sitting alone, putting hand on palm

Identifying Complicated Grief

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
If you’ve  recently lost a loved one or have a loved one currently in hospice care, you may be wondering about how “normal” your feelings of grief are. It’s important to…
Focus on hands resting on bed, young person holding elderly person's hand

10 Helpful Grieving & Self-Care Tips

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
Whether your loved one’s time in hospice has been days long or weeks long, grief can still take you by surprise. Grief is the natural result of love. When you love…
Parent cupping child's hands as child holds a red, cloth heart

How to Offer Emotional Support to a Dying Child (and Their Family)

| For Caregivers & Families, Grief & Loss | No Comments
A child you care about is dying. You want to offer your love and care, but you’re not sure how to go about it. Whether you are a parent, friend,…
Younger person holding elderly person's hands in a comforting way

6 Ways to Support a Dying Friend in Their Final Days

| For Caregivers & Families, Grief & Loss | No Comments
If you’re reading this, you have a friend who is dying, and you’re probably dealing with a lot of feelings. Facing the death of someone you care about is extremely…
open book with pink flowers next to it

10 Poems to Enhance a Meaningful Service

| Meaningful Funerals | No Comments
Whether you’re in hospice care yourself or are with a loved one receiving care, it’s important to discuss how best to honor a person’s life and legacy through a personalized…
Young woman in white sweater looking out the window

10 Grief Myths You May Believe

| Grief & Loss | No Comments
As you reflect on the loss of someone you love and their journey through hospice, it may be helpful to understand what to expect from the coming weeks and months.…
Middle-aged couple looking at documents

5 Estate Planning Documents You Should Consider

| Estate Planning | No Comments
Receiving a diagnosis or entering hospice care can be a very emotional time. One way to cope is to focus not on what you can’t control, but on what you…