I was reading a SW's note on a patient recently and read about the family's refusal to take patient home because they have little children. I am encountering more and more people these days who want to shield their children from seeing death/dying.
I am a huge proponent of providing hospice care at home, allowing people to die in their own bed, surrounded by their family. Not in a hospital. Not in a nursing facility. And so, I am saddened by this situation.
When I was little, I remember my aunts taking care of my dying grandmother at home. I remember her vacant stare, a tube from her nose, the deep, gasping breaths. It was strange to me, but I was not scared or anything. I feel like we underestimate children a lot. I think kids can take it. Even learn an important lesson about life that way.
What do you think? Would you feel comfortable letting your children see a family member dying, or do you think dying person should be kept away from children?
