Saying Goodbye: A Guide to Coping with a Loved One's Terminal Illness Paperback – 3 Jan. 2012

Wow what a powerful book to read, full of useful information as well as some heartfelt real life experiences.. it helped me understand what other people in family were going through, I read it and felt at peace with my feelings and sadness..

who wants to know more about dealing with death. As the two authors, Barbara Okun and Joseph Nowinski, write in their excellent guide, "Saying Goodbye", death these days is often a slower process as people are living longer and living with terminal disease. A lingering death of a loved-one gives the family and friends and the patient a chance to prepare for the inevitable. And preparing can be everything from emotional to physical to financial matters. Throughout the book, Okun and Nowinski use the voices of people going through the process which gives the reader a more casual feel than perhaps a text book on the subject might do. This book is written for the lay person and simple, easily digestible terms are used to make the subject of a loved one's approaching death a little easier to deal with.Okun and Nowicki also update the 5 stages of grief, as originally defined by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, to be more relevant in today's world.This guide, published by Harvard Health Publications, does not necessarily list references about where you can seek help, but rather goes through the steps needed to help both the family/caregivers and the terminal patient. Writing about the emotional toll in the situation, the authors give useful suggestions about forming support groups to help. They also write about the ruptures within a family that terminal illness of one member often bring out in the open that have long been hidden. Okun and Nowinski are excellent writers and the subject of terminal illness and death are delicately, yet forthrightly handled.

Needed for coursework & was very useful insight to bereavement

Quick service, very impressed.

who wants to know more about dealing with death. As the two authors, Barbara Okun and Joseph Nowinski, write in their excellent guide, "Saying Goodbye", death these days is often a slower process as people are living longer and living with terminal disease. A lingering death of a loved-one gives the family and friends and the patient a chance to prepare for the inevitable. And preparing can be everything from emotional to physical to financial matters. Throughout the book, Okun and Nowinski use the voices of people going through the process which gives the reader a more casual feel than perhaps a text book on the subject might do. This book is written for the lay person and simple, easily digestible terms are used to make the subject of a loved one's approaching death a little easier to deal with.Okun and Nowlinski redefine the Five Stages of Grief, as originally conceived by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1970 book, "On Death and Dying". They bring it up-to-date, dealing with the new realities of terminal illness and death.This guide, published by Harvard Health Publications, does not just list references about where you can seek help, but also goes through the steps needed to help both the family/caregivers and the terminal patient. Writing about the emotional toll in the situation, the authors give useful suggestions about forming support groups to help. They also write about the ruptures within a family that terminal illness of one member often bring out in the open that have long been hidden. Okun and Nowinski are excellent writers and the subject of terminal illness and death are delicately, yet forthrightly handled.

As I prepared to participate in the care-taking of my mother's last few months of her life, which was cut short to 24 days, I took comfort in learning how to deal with the emotional roller coaster that my mother and my siblings would go through. The most important thing I learned is that people that are dying can still hear you. Through the pain, through the closed eyes - they can hear you. I know this because I spoke to my mother and when she still could hear me and respond. She would respond with a grunt or a shake of her head and I knew she could hear me. Taking to her about memories of our childhood made her happy and telling stories where she didn't have the stress of answering or participating in the conversation, was perfect - for her and for my siblings and I. It was SO important to learn that in time to implement it. And then she slipped away...

As A therapist I was aware of much of what was in this book, but it was a good reminder. I had not consciously thought about some of it, but feel more prepared after reading. I will highly recommend to my clients.

This is an excellent book on dealing with terminal illness in a family, going into much detail and practical advice. The life examples were extremely helpful in illustrating the points, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has just been diagnosed with a terminal illness, or is the family member of such a person. The earlier in the process you read this book, the better prepared you will be, to deal with everything you can foresee happening--and a few things you can't.I work in a hospice inpatient unit, so many times I see people who are closer to the end of the process, but if I worked out in the field I would be tempted to hand out copies to families. This was a Kindle edition that I reviewed, so I don't know how long the actual book is. However, it is worth it. Please consider buying this book for anyone you know who may be going through the dying process with their loved one.