You can only cope with this new reality in doses. You will first come to understand it with your head, and only over time will you come to understand it with your heart.

To acknowledge you are dying is to let go of the future. It is to live only in the present. There is no easy way to do this, and you will probably struggle with this task every day until you die. Know that if you work at acknowledging the reality of your coming death, however, instead of denying it, you will open your heart and mind to the possibility of a new, rich way of living.

Be an Active Participant in Your Medical Care
Many people are taught as “patients” to be passive recipients of the care provided by medical experts. But don’t forget this - this is your body; your life. Don’t fail to ask questions that are important to your emotional and physical well-being out of fear that you will be “taking up someone’s time.”

Learn about your illness. Visit your local library and consult the medical reference books. Request information from educational associations, such as the National Cancer Institute or the American Heart Association. Ask your doctor, nurses and other caregivers whenever you have a question.

If you educate yourself about the illness and its probable course, you will better understand what is happening to you. You will be better equipped to advocate for personalized, compassionate care. You may not be in control of your illness, but you can and should be in control of your care.

Find Hope
When people are seriously ill, we tend to get caught up in statistics and averages; How soon will the illness progress? How long do I have left? These can be helpful to know, but they don’t always provide spiritual and emotional comfort.

Even if you are certain to die from this illness, you can find hope in your tomorrows, your next visit from someone loved, your spirituality. At bottom, hope means finding meaning in life, whether that life will last five more days, five more months or five years.

Embrace Your Spirituality
If faith is part of your life, express it in ways that seem appropriate to you. You may find comfort and hope in reading spiritual texts, attending religious services or praying. Allow yourself to be around people who understand and support your religious beliefs. If you are angry at God because of your illness, realize that this is a normal and natural response. Find someone to talk to who won’t be critical of whatever thoughts and feelings you need to explore.

Reach Out For Support....Care You Can Trust
We are here to work together with you to provide counseling, education and support focusing on giving you control in determining your physical, psychological and spiritual needs. I turn, hospice and family team develop a care plan that includes pain management and symptom control.

Our hospice delivers care to you at your own home or The Pickering House for you patient needs.

We specialize hospice care including all types of heart failures, congestive heart failures, end-stage dementia, Parkinson's Disease, liver, kidney and pulmonary disease, ALD (Lou Gehrig's disease), failure to thrive and cancer.

Now is the best time to learn about The Pickering House and Home Care services offered by FairHoPe Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc. and to share your wished with loved ones before it becomes a concern. This can greatly reduce stress when the need for hospice becomes apparent. Far too many families who have been served by hospice reflect back upon their experience and question why they did not seek out hospice care sooner.

Please feel free to contact us anything to discuss questions you may have. Our professional staff will be with you to help.