Death and Life

How My Experience with Loss Inspired Me to Help Others Die Well

How My Experience with Loss Inspired Me to Help Others Die Well

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW

Written by Su Park It was a couple of days before Christmas in 2019.

Dad called to tell me that Mom had been diagnosed with cancer.

My heart sank and fear slowly enveloped my body as I processed what I was hearing.

Fast forward to today, Mom passed away in December 2019.

From diagnosis to her final day, she survived for 4 years.

I often think about the things left unsaid and the memories unshared.

grief loss Planning
Picturing Our Deathbed Can Help Us Live Better

Picturing Our Deathbed Can Help Us Live Better

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
By Lisa Pahl, LCSW   What does your dying self have to say about the life you are living?   Preparing for our own death isn’t just about making t...
Sharing Personal Stories Can Help Increase Awareness About Hospice

Sharing Personal Stories Can Help Increase Awareness About Hospice

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
By Lisa Pahl, LCSW   My mother-in-law Kay died in 2020, three months after a Pancreatic Cancer diagnosis.    Less than a month before her death, s...
Atheists Too Can Find Peace in Their Beliefs

Atheists Too Can Find Peace in Their Beliefs

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
  By Lisa Pahl, LCSW   “There are no atheists in the foxhole.” I’ve heard this phrase used many times through my work in end-of-life care.   I thi...
Sitting With The Dying

Sitting With The Dying

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
By Lisa Pahl, LCSW    "Eye contact is more intimate than words will ever be." -Poets Cafe  When sitting with someone who is seriously ill or dying...
Early Conversations Save Later Heartache

Early Conversations Save Later Heartache

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
By Lisa Pahl, LCSW  It’s not always easy to ask difficult questions, even if it’s your job to do so.It’s one of my responsibilities, as the hospic...
Hard Conversations Bring Us Closer

Hard Conversations Bring Us Closer

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
 By Lisa Pahl, LCSW    Awhile back, I had a very moving conversations with the daughter of one of my hospice patients. These were her words:   “I...
Conversations About End-of-Life Preferences Builds Confidence

Conversations About End-of-Life Preferences Builds Confidence

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
By Lisa Pahl, LCSW Completing your advance directive and living will is important. Yet, often, that’s all that happens. It's common for the person...
Hospice Myths Debunked

Hospice Myths Debunked

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
  There is a lot of misinformation and misconceptions about hospice, which leads to people underutilizing the support that is available to them. B...
Start Preparing For Death by Building and Nurturing Friendships

Start Preparing For Death by Building and Nurturing Friendships

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
By Lisa Pahl, LCSW I was visiting a hospice patient who lived alone and had very few people in her life. She was relatively young to be on hospice...
Caring For Transgender Patients on Hospice

Caring For Transgender Patients on Hospice

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
By Lisa Pahl, LCSW Gender-affirming end-of-life care is a basic human right. It is the responsibility of each end-of-life provider to educate ours...
What to Consider When Choosing a Health Care Decision Maker

What to Consider When Choosing a Health Care Decision Maker

by Lisa Pahl, LCSW
By Lisa Pahl, LCSW People often choose their healthcare surrogate because of the relationship alone (spouse, child, etc).Before making your decisi...