We were there 24 hours. Being in the room during the last moments before death is an awe-inspiring and strangely reassuring experience for many family members who have never experienced death close up before. Hospice team members, adept at knowing when those last moments are near, alert family members so they can say goodbye. The team includes physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, chaplains and pharmacists, as well as the patient, family members and loved ones. For 13 months after the patient's death, family members are given bereavement benefits.
Workers check on the family, and notes with educational materials on grief are provided.
Pauline Solum chose hospice care as a way to die at home, just as Rev. Jay Stratton is doing now. He served at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Bismarck until retirement in 1993 and later served part-time for the House of Prayer parish. Long the person called upon when someone is dying, Stratton has switched roles. He now spends much of his time at home, watching for birds at the feeder outside, which have been sparse this year, quieting his dog, Molly, a lively miniature schnauzer who provides companionship whenever he is alone, and living the final chapter of his own life. He has chosen to receive compassionate care and pain management in his warm and friendly kitchen, rather than seeking treatment against terminal pancreatic cancer.