Lindsey Pace, LCSW

Well meaning parents and caregivers often try to shield children from the experience of grief and loss and for good reason. Grief and loss are acutely painful experiences. However, regardless of our best efforts to shield these innocent hearts, children are intuitive and whether they can verbalize it or not they sense when something isn't right. Rather than leave their little minds to try and make sense of what's going on around them, I argue that parents and caregivers should invite children into the experience of loss and grief so that they can encounter it with a caring adult and guide at their side.  Here are a few ways I encourage parents and caregivers to approach children about issues related to grief and loss: 1- Be open and honest and keep in mind that honesty does not mean revealing every minute detail and aspect of the situation. Simply paint an overall picture of the situation and allow the child the freedom to ask question and seek more information on their own. Le

One of my greatest privileges I’ve experienced in my professional work has been and is to be a witness to another person’s life as they near the end of their physical life. In the past 10 years of working in hospice , I’ve had many memorable patients and moving experiences. Just in the past few weeks, I have had some moments that, as they were occurring, I knew were significant. A few weeks ago, I stopped by a patient’s home to drop off a copy of her DNR form to her husband. This patient was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease a few years ago and had experienced a steady decline over the past few months leading her to be eligible for hospice. I wasn’t planning to go into the home and visit with the patient and her spouse since I had already made a formal visit the week earlier and I wasn’t aware of any new issues or needs but the husband invited me in and to be polite I accepted the invitation. As soon as the door behind me closed, I heard the all too familiar sound of congested breathi