WANTING HER HOME

Late yesterday afternoon, "Barry" called hospice to talk about his mother, "Elizabeth." He moved his mother to his home two weeks ago from another state. He and his mom both agreed that as she was aging, her needs were slowly increasing. Barry wanted his mom to move in with he and his wife so they could care for her.

Five days ago, Elizabeth suffered a major stroke. She has been in a local hospital since that time. They were all hoping she would recover even though she has continued to be unresponsive. Through my conversations with Barry, one could feel the strong love and appreciation he had for his mother.

Barry and his wife stayed in the hospital, never leaving her side. They slept overnight in her hospital room on a cot. Barry and I spoke several times this morning while hospice was arranging for delivery of a bed and bedside table. In addition, I was sharing with Barry my conversations with the hospital's discharge planner.

A few minutes after my last call to Barry, the discharge planner called to say that the patient had died. Several hours later, I gave Barry a call to offer condolences and to see how he was coping. Barry shared that he left his mom's room for about five minutes. It was then that she died.

I shared with Barry that his mom was being a mom and left at the perfect time for her. She was protecting him like she has done her entire life. To me it was the perfect example of each giving the other a gift. Barry was at peace knowing he has always been there for his mom like she has been for him. In the end, it is all about love.


WANTING HER HOME

She was getting up in years.
She was starting to slow down.
She lived three states away
making it hard for him to help out.

He wanted her to move into his home.
He wanted to be able to care for her.
So two weeks ago she moved in
giving both of them some peace of mind.

Five days ago, she suffered a debilitating stroke.
She's been in the hospital, unresponsive, since then.
He wants to bring her back to his home
for a peaceful death with him by her side.

I spoke with him and the hospital staff
coordinating a plan for her to return home.
We scheduled a hospice visit for this afternoon
thinking she would be home by then.

 Moments later, he left her hospital room.
It was then that she took her last breath.
She never made it back to his house
as someone else
          needed her home.