A Companion for the Hospice Journey: Thoughts on Life's Tough Decisions

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0578433281 ISBN 13: 9780578433288

Publisher: Bowker, 2019

2019 WINNER (Honorable Mention) in Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

From the judge’s comments: “The author handles complex, traumatic topics with ease, care, empathy, and even a little humor weaved in when needed to blunt the painful topic at hand. Everyone facing the loss of a loved one should be given this book to help guide them through the process and to be a voice of seasoned compassion in their lives.”

Additional praise for A COMPANION FOR THE HOSPICE JOURNEY:

“Reading Companion for the Hospice Journey was like having a heart-to-heart conversation about one of the scariest topics I know: dying. This book is direct and comprehensive, yet oh so gentle.”- Barbara Karnes, Hospice RN and author of Gone From My Sight (also called “The Little Blue Book")

“Larry Patten's book, A Companion for the Hospice Journey, is sure to be of inestimable value to patients, family members, and caregivers. Written with clarity and warmth, it's a comprehensive guide to the many dimensions of hospice and palliative care . . .”- Dr. Porter Storey, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, Retired Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine

"Larry Patten has offered a unique learning experience regarding end of life and hospice care. With a gift of story-telling, he disarms the fears of the reader.”- Nancy Hinds, RN. Founder of Hinds Hospice in 1981 and selected as one of the “Top 30 Visionaries in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.”

“I hope you’ll read this book before you need hospice help. I highly recommend it to anyone facing life-threatening illness or grief. I wish I’d had this book before or during my husband’s illness. It would have spared us much suffering, but I’m grateful to have it now.”- Elaine Mansfield, author of Leaning into Love: A Spiritual Journey through Grief, TEDx speaker, hospice bereavement volunteer, bereavement group leader

“This book reads like a fireside chat with a best friend and trusted confidante. Written with equal parts honesty, truth, compassion and heart, the ebb and flow of content, breathing space, personal storytelling and critical Hospice information is both life affirming and comforting.”- Armen Bacon, Author of Griefland: An Intimate Portrait of Love, Loss, and Unlikely Friendship

Any discussion about hospice includes the words most prefer to avoid or ignore: dying, death, and grief. In A COMPANION FOR THE HOSPICE JOURNEY, readers are invited into that uncomfortable subject.
Nearly half of the deaths in the United States (in 2017, over 2.7 million died) will take place with the support of hospice. Which means, right now, there are a lot of people facing choices related to the end of their lives. Those choices also include the family and friends providing care during an overwhelming time. And, with every next death, there are many grievers missing and mourning a loved one. Too many people don’t know what their choices are, and too many tough decisions are made with little or no knowledge about hospice care. A COMPANION FOR THE HOSPICE JOURNEY offers support for those decisions.

COMPANION is a book for everyone that needs information about a subject no one wants to talk about.