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Ann Richardson

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Life in a Hospice: Reflections on caring for the dying Kindle Edition

by Ann Richardson (Author), Tony Benn (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 178 ratings

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End of life care at its best

Dying, it’s an uncomfortable topic. None of us likes to think about what our last days will be like. But if we do think about them at all, we want them to be full of peace and tranquillity, with the chance to say proper goodbyes to those we love. Life in a Hospice takes you behind the scenes in end-of-life care, where you will see the enormous efforts of nurses, doctors, chaplains and others - even a thoughtful cook - to provide the calm that we all hope for.

Perhaps you are looking for end-of-life care for someone you love. Perhaps you are wondering if this is the job for you. Or you just feel like being inspired by humanity at its best. This book will be for you.

HIGHLY COMMENDED by the British Medical Association, 2008

"The simple reflections on complex areas of care resonate long after you have finished reading the book." Cancer Nursing Forum Newsletter, Royal College of Nursing

"An easy-to-read book, which will surprise many readers with its lightness of touch, humanity and refreshing tone. I would recommend it to anyone who has worries about their own or a relative’s care at the end of life." Dr Nansi-Wynne Evans, GP, BMA Medical Book Competition

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XKJ2MCN
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Glenmore Press; 2nd edition (March 12, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 12, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 693 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 170 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #1,243,746 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #20 in Palliative Care
- #96 in Physician & Patient Hospice Care
- #137 in Nurse & Patient

Customer Reviews:
4.4 178 ratings

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About the author

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Ann Richardson

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I have been a writer for many years.

My most recent book, The Granny Who Stands on Her Head, comprises a series of reflections on growing older and is partly a memoir.

But I am fascinated by other people’s experiences, thoughts and emotions and have written three recent books where people express their views in their own words. These are:

i) Life in a Hospice, Foreword by Tony Benn, about what it is like to work in end-of-life care;

ii) Wise Before Their Time, Foreword by Sir Ian McKellen, about people living with HIV/AIDS in the early 1990s;

iii) Celebrating Grandmothers, about the joys and challenges of being a grandmother.

Website: http://www.annrichardson.co.uk.

Free fortnightly Substack newsletter: arichardson.substack.com.

I live in London, England with my husband of sixty years.

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4.4 out of 5

178 global ratings

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Customer

A Very comprehensive and interesting book.

Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2018

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Since my father died last year and with my mother fast sinking into dementia, I feel drawn to the subject of death and how to alleviate some of the sufferings.
This book delves into the physical and practical needs of hospice care and although it is somber subject matter it was well presented.
Coming from the UK, I was surprised at the number of people using these services. When you start to think of two hundred thousand people as less than 50% of the recipients it starts to feel more real.
The book makes you appreciate the hospice workers and It’s not that I couldn't do their job but I would rather not.
It's not until you read a book like this, that you think of all the people involved in the process, from counselors and nurses to chaplains, volunteers, consultants & occupational therapists.
The book provided some interesting insights into hospice life, from large bouts of laughter (although as a laughter yoga practitioner I can see the benefits of laughter) to the differences between the night and day experiences in hospices.
A Very comprehensive and interesting book.

3 people found this helpful

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Avid Reader

Informative, poignant, and uplifting

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2020

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Dying and death, caring for the terminally ill—subjects many of us avoid. After reading this book of interviews with hospice workers I am left with sincere admiration and gratitude for them. These are caring, dedicated people helping the residents live life to its fullest up to the moment of death. Through these interviews, the author has given us a comprehensive picture of hospice life from the most mundane aspects to the complex and conflicting emotions surrounding death. I recommend this book for anyone and everyone—the subject is relevant to us all, and ultimately, you will come away feeling uplifted.

4 people found this helpful

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bill

I found the book helpful and interesting

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2017

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My grandmother was in Hospice for a very short time before she died. I had gone to visit her only once in that time. While I'm in the US and Ann Richards is writing about Hospice in the UK, my experience was very similar to that of her description in the book. The hospital is no place to be for an extended stay if you're going to die; they're simply not set up for end-of-life care. Ann's description of warmer, less clinical , environment is right on the money to my own experience and Hospice felt more like a retirement home rather than a sterile place one goes to expire.

No one wants to think about death, so I give the staff at Hospice a lot of credit for doing what they do. I was particularly interested in how they handled people of different backgrounds. It seemed to complicate things mostly, especially when that person doesn't speak English. People of different religious and ethnic backgrounds deal with death very differently. I must admit, i became choked up when thinking about those people and their families in denial. Death becomes even more sad when the person is not ready to go and the family is not ready to let them go and can't face up to it.

Overall, a great Hospice-advocacy book but more than that because Ann takes great pains in showing how the places are run and how the staff deal with death on an almost daily basis.

There's no getting around the fact that death is sad, no matter the age of the departed. I'm not sure how well I'd do working in an environment like that so I'm glad to know there are those that can deal with death and the dying in a professional, and caring manner.

9 people found this helpful

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frederick nenner

As a medical ethicist in a teaching hospital, I ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2017

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As a medical ethicist in a teaching hospital, I am moved by the candour of staff, specifically when they talk about the difficulties experienced and what they do to cope. It makes the mission and work real. There is nothing academic in the understanding we have after reading about what people do, why they do it and what it actually means to patients and their families. We are in the experience. Very helpful for the people who actually do the work. It makes legitimate what we think and feel, but are reluctant to admit to – let alone speak about.

7 people found this helpful

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Christie

Wonderful book for anyone working in the hospice field.

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2019

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As a hospice nurse, I found this book to be a true representation of the complex feelings and emotions one feels when caring for a terminal patient. The feelings expressed in the book from the different staff members interviewed help to show how each patient experience is different as they face the end of their lives. It highlights the the hospice staff experience and the feelings they face working with a dying population.

4 people found this helpful

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Dick B

Death With Dignity and With Little Pain Is What It’s All About

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2022

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Until someone has experienced the death of a loved one, the whole idea of palliative care for those that are dying is not given a thought. This book presents in a second edition what the Hospice movement in Britain is all about, told with the words from all who are involved in giving end-of-life care. This is a must read for anyone contemplating going into this field. It is also a good read for any of us who have a loved one approaching death or an extended terminal illness. And of course, older readers can take solace in knowing that the end does not have to be all pain and suffering, but that there is a corps of dedicated individuals ready to make this final transition as easy as possible.

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Ruth Abel

A hospice is not a sad place, it's a place of peace for living ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2017

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Ann Richardson has written a book on hospice care that should be read by all medical people and anyone facing end-of-life issues with family or friends. I thought I knew quite a bit about how a hospice works, having had a brother-in-law who was in hospice care. I learned a lot. A hospice is not a sad place, it's a place of peace for living until the end comes and a comfort for families. It's interesting reading what staff have to say about working in a hospice. A very important book on the subject.

One person found this helpful

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Arthur Goldschmidt

Hospice care for the dying.

Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2017

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The book is on a subject that should be of universal interest, death, although most people do not care to think about it, and about how hospice care makes the process less painful, physically and psychologically, for the person who is doing it and for that person's friends and family. It is a skillfully organized series of interviews with friends and family of the dying patients, caregivers, and administrators, easy to read and full of unforgettable, deeply personal stories.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Cathy Lynn Brooks

Refreshingly Delightful

Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2019

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Who would think a book about a hospice would be so enjoyable? I learned so much. It’s such a wonderful place to live and die. The people who work there learn to live life to the fullest. The author has done amazing research and covers a vast array of subjects. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

One person found this helpful

Barbara M. Webb

A well presented, informed and inspiring book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2017

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I was drawn to this book because I had experienced the hospice system for a short period of time fifteen years ago when my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and I was curious to find out what it offered these days. In addition, the first edition of the book received praise from the British Medical Association.

Ann Richardson, the author, has written, "All of my books are based on the individual words of people, talking about their lives." The book consists of recorded conversations which make for easy, fluid reading, and authenticity, at the same time raising the key issues that are essential to understanding the hospice world.

The book is divided into four parts:
1. The work of hospices including the differences between hospitals and hospices, the needs of relatives as well as patients, recognising terminal stages, respecting the wishes of patients. (Some of these were confirmed by my own experiences).
2. Tricky issues and difficulties such as families in denial, or neglectful families. (Very illuminating accounts from doctors through to chefs).
3. Motivation and rewards which answer the question- What makes the work worthwhile? "Privileged to do such work" appears a lot in this section.
4. Reflections on Working in a Hospice including the qualities required by a hospice worker: patience, being tough, having a sense of humour, imagination to feel what the patient has endured and so on.

There are three certainties in life: Birth, Taxes and Death. Here in the Western world much time is devoted to preparing for "Birth". Death is generally ignored till it happens. Yet we all have to pass through the portals of death. I would therefore highly recommend this book to everyone.

Last but not least, I regard this as an excellent handbook for anyone facing the death of a loved one.

13 people found this helpful

MegaReader

Very Informative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 17, 2018

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I must say that this non-fiction book is a very interesting read, and was highly commended by the British Medical Association in 2008.
These are true life conversations that the author has had with people who work in hospices. These angels of mercy share their thoughts and feelings about their jobs and enlarge on the kind of end-of-life care that we don't really want to think about until it's our turn to undergo it. These conversations amongst others include care of the dying person, pain relief, dealing with relatives, and even how the body is prepared after death.
It's not all doom and gloom. Staff try to give the patients hope and encourage them to pursue their hobbies, and do not talk about death if the patient does not want to know. This type of work is obviously a vocation, and we must be thankful for these people who want to make our passage out of this world as easy as possible. All aspects of working in a hospice are discussed, and this book could also serve as an educational tool.
I have several relatives whose end-of-life experiences were in hospices, and when it comes to the dying process I personally am in favour of hospices over hospitals, as the staff are less rushed and have more time to care for the patient. Nobody runs around like headless chickens in hospices (as staff tend to do on hospital wards), and there is an overall sense of peace and serenity.
I award this book 5 stars!

4 people found this helpful

maggie

Good hi of palliative care from theUK

Reviewed in Canada on October 27, 2019

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Although dated it is informative & interesting.