Orders can be placed online at KauaiHospice.org

Lanterns will be lit December 8, 2021 through January 31, 2022 and

YOUTUBE: FROM TOUCHY TO TOUCHING-STRAIGHT TALK ABOUT THE DYING PROCESS (53:52 minutes)

Tani has spent most of her 44-year nursing career focusing on improving end-of-life care and has developed many clinical training programs for medical and nursing schools and hospice volunteers. Recognizing how fear, misinformation and lack of information can negatively impact decision-making and the dying experience, she understands the need to support and educate patients, their caregivers and healthcare providers throughout the end-of-life journey. This excellent presentation examines the dying process and its significant physical and psychosocial aspects. It helps explain the body’s wisdom and mystery, and how to best promote comfort at end-of-life. Watch now. NOTE: This content is also available as a RELIAS Learning module (same title and presenter).

"In my thirties, I stopped crying, says Jun Wu. No matter how stressful my life was, I couldn’t squeeze out tears." She goes on to explore the psychology and science of crying. Did you know that there are three types of tears: basal tears, reflex tears and emotional tears? And that the latter contains hormones which modulates stress response, reduces pain and improves mood. Read more about the natural healing and resilience benefits of crying.

“When sorrow comes, let us accept it simply, as a part of life. Let the heart be open to pain; let it be stretched by it. All the evidence we have says that this is the better way. An open heart never grows bitter. Or if it does, it cannot remain so. In the desolate hour there is an outcry, a clenching of the hands upon emptiness, a burning pain of bereavement, a weary ache of loss. But anguish, like ecstasy, is not forever. There comes a gentleness, a returning quietness, a restoring stillness. This, too, is a door to life. Here, also, is a deepening of meaning — and it can lead to dedication, a going forward to the triumph of the soul, the conquering of the wilderness. In the process will come a deepening inward knowledge that, in the final reckoning, all is well.”

Hospice chaplain Kerry Egan says one of the questions she hears most often is about people’s last words. When asked by someone if they should plan their last words, she explains what they are really asking is: “What is so important in this life that it should be the very last thing we talk about?” Click here to hear Kerry's insights about dying words -- both the short answer and the long answer.

In medicine, virtual reality has been used to reduce pain, help stroke victims recover, and allow doctors to plan and watch surgery. Embodied Labs is one of the first companies whose videos have allowed viewers to "experience" dying. Healthcare organizations are using this simulation to help nurses, hospice workers and students learn about and empathize with patients at the ends of their lives. Click here to read the article or watch the powerful 1:34 minute virtual reality clip -- about a fictional 66-year-old man with incurable lung cancer whose family gathers around his bed, reassuring him that it's OK to let go of life.

Moving closer to death can make people think about the truly important things in life. And for some, expressing their beliefs or personal values – in the form of a spiritual will, also known as an ethical will or a legacy letter – is an important practice. It’s a way of articulating and sharing values that may be handed down through generations. It could be the story of your life, or simply offer reassurance to those you love by asking them to carry you in their hearts. This comprehensive article also lists 5 excellent resource books by various authors (an attorney, a social worker, a Rabbi, a Franciscan nun, and a teacher) who explore how patients can find meaning and purpose at end of life.

Uploaded by John R. Finch (June 24, 2014)

The Irish poet and philosopher, former Catholic priest and best-selling author John O'Donohue (1956-2008) believed that it is within our power to transform our fear of death so that we need fear little else this life brings. He shares his life experience that "One of the real privileges was to be at the deathbed, helping humanoids to leave the earth. And, if they've really lived their life, then it's a great place to be."

Watch and enjoy at least the first 3-minutes of his brilliant and captivating talk at the 2007 Greenbelt Festival, England.

An Australian farmer could not attend his aunt's funeral due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Instead, he laid out grain for his sheep in the shape of a heart and sent his drone up to capture this beautiful tribute. Click to watch.