madfootTonight a man my age was at his mother’s bedside.I smiled apologetically. “I promise you, I’m here to help you. You are in a hospital, I’m a nursing assistant. We’re here to take care of…Mar 3, 2020Mar 3, 2020
madfootThe Thin White LineI started working as an assistant nurse this week. At the hospital where I was born. It wasn’t part of the plan — I thought I’d try for…Feb 12, 2020Feb 12, 2020
madfootWhy hospice?Being close to the dying. People who are in that space of dying are terrifying to the people around them. Not everyone, but on a societal…Feb 4, 2019Feb 4, 2019
madfoot“But don’t you miss them?”People are afraid of hospice for all sorts of reasons. I’m not talking about the patients. They have their own reasons to have complicated…Aug 24, 2018Aug 24, 2018
madfootThe time we took the motorcyclesPeople ask me what I do when I visit patients in hospice. It’s not what people tend to picture: a solemn room, classical music. Someone can…Aug 18, 2018Aug 18, 2018
madfootHumbling summerThe story so far: I have a B.A. in English from a Seven Sisters college, but literally never took a science class since 10th grade. Yes…Aug 17, 2018Aug 17, 2018
madfootTraining DaysToday is Monday. This Friday, I start a weekend-long workshop to be certified as a death doula, and I’m scared spitless.Apr 16, 2018Apr 16, 2018
madfootHow to work in hospiceIt seems to me that you can’t get a job in hospice care without an RN degree, which makes sense but is also a bit of a challenge for an…Apr 12, 2018Apr 12, 2018
madfootI want to help you dieMy Grandma Rosie spent her last few years in the Daughters of Israel Nursing Home in West Orange, New Jersey. I love this place. I don’t…Apr 11, 2018Apr 11, 2018
