For five years our family was enrolled in the real-life course of geriatric care for Dan's 100+ year-old grandmother. While our initial role was to provide respite care, as her condition worsened we were assigned to more and more of her day-to-day treatment. When hospice stepped in, instead of taking over her nursing, they trained our family how to provide it. Honestly, we learned more than we ever wanted to know! However, underlying all this instruction were some creepy philosophical ideas that left us feeling very unsettled about using hospice.
After Grammy's death I stumbled upon this eye-opening book, authored by Deborah Howard, an RN and a CHPN (Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse). While her primary purpose in writing this book is to help those who are trying to cope with the suffering and death of someone they love, in the process she explains in detail the medical aspect of the dying process and the function of the hospice organization, all in the context of a clear message of hope in Christ. This book has caused us to do a 180 in our attitude with respect to hospice and to regret that we didn't read this book in the final year of Grammy's life. It would have made a huge difference in our care efforts, addressed our fears, and prepared us for those final days.
There are many home educators who are finding themselves a part of the sandwich generation, caring for both their children and their parents. I know God is glorified when we choose to put aside creature comforts and desires to minister to the elderly and infirm. Should you find yourselves in the heart-breaking situation of watching a loved one step from mortality to immortality, be they the elderly, or more heartrending, a young child, Sunsets can inform, prepare and give you a God-glorifying perspective.
Because it is appointed unto all of us to die, this is an essential book that belongs in every well-stocked home library.
A hospice nurse shares her experience to provide comfort for those who are dying or who have a loved one who is dying. She has written for everyone who is struggling to cope with suffering and death, integrating detailed medical explanations of the dying process with a clear message of hope in Christ.
Her compassion, firm faith in Christ, and years of working as a hospice nurse create a uniquely sensitive, experiential, and biblical volume. Above all, she emphasizes that there is a light that cuts through death's dark shadow. That light is Jesus Christ, and He offers hope and comfort to all who are facing life's final journey.
