Did you read Alice Hobson's story as an inspiring one, or as a cautionary tale?

Did you read Alice Hobson's story as an inspiring one, or as a cautionary tale?

Mostly I looked at it as a cautionary tale. Very soon I will be faced to make more decisions that ever with my mother as to how she wants to live out her life. I believe she feels she will remain at home until she dies (and I certainly hope so), but I know she hasn't made any alternative plans whatsoever. I hope what I've learned from this book will help with our decisions.

It was a bit of both.

A little bit of both.

Definitely a bit of both. I'm sitting right now with my mother-in-law as she enters the 2nd week after a massive stroke. We are anticipating the end soon. She never had any discussions with her family about end of life decisions, other than to refuse dialysis. I wish people could talk more openly about their death with their families, but we all seem to avoid the topic, thinking we can avoid death from happening.

It is a cautionary tale. I think it is hard to force the medical profession to acknowledge that death is a fact of life and in many situations the bestfor everyone. Too often the discussion appears to be an issue of money versus life, but mere life is not worth living without some quality. My mother died last summer after a debilitating stroke. She had always been adamant she did not want to die in a hospital. With the help of hospice we were able to follow through on her wishes. She could neither speak nor move, but she maintained her desire to stay home. It was not easy to keep from giving care over to a hospital, but we are glad we were able to stand firm.