Living & Dying: A Hospice Blog

[caption id="attachment_6599" align="alignright" width="234"] Aldo[/caption] From Jennie Reichman I had every intention to write about bathing suits this month. It's June, temperatures have been balmy, and Vermont’s lakes, ponds and rivers beckon with cool relief. Bathing suits are still on the docket, but I want to spend...

Dear Alice, I am in a quandary about completing my Advance Directive. I received a copy of the Vermont Advance Directive form in November 2019 from Taking Steps Brattleboro’s tabling in the Richards Lobby at BMH. I have looked at the form several times since then,...

By Patty Dunn, Hospice Program Coordinator This week my heart broke when I learned that my hospice “alma mater” was closing its doors. After 37 years of serving the Addison County community, our sister volunteer hospice in Middlebury, which was modeled after Brattleboro Area Hospice, will...

Dear Alice, I’m hoping you can assist me with concerns that have been troubling me since my Mom recently asked me if I would be her “Agent” on her Advance Directive. I am concerned because I have a family with very strong opinions about matters of...

by Jennie Reichman Well, we survived the cruel month of April with its teasing lure of 70 degree days followed by an epic mud season followed by punishing snow and cold. Time to welcome the darling buds of May and the astonishing return of leaves to...

by Lars Hunter Bereavement Program Coordinator I believe if there is any time of year that resembles grief it’s the months of March and April. They are months of change, new light, bird song, and the days that can also bring us back into the throes of...

[caption id="attachment_6533" align="alignright" width="300"] Vintage pillow at the shop[/caption] by Jennie Reichman I recently had something stolen from my home. I won’t go into great detail here, but it was something I use every day, that I enjoy, and that was worth about $50. I have an...

Dear Alice, I am healthy and in my early twenties, but my mom is nudging me to fill out an Appointment of Agent Advance Directive form, naming a person to make medical decisions for me if I have an accident or illness and can’t make medical...

by Jennie Reichman It's that time of year when it is honestly a little hard to figure out what to write about. It seems to happen when we are past all the exciting holidays; have settled into winter and its routines, challenges and quiet pleasures; and...

Dear Alice, I understand that my health care agent will make decisions about my health care treatment if I am unable to do so. This is fine if my inability is obvious, like if I am unconscious. But if it isn’t obvious, who decides if I...