My mom carried the burden of caring for my dad. Hospice finally gave her help.

The author had strong feelings about putting her dad in hospice. Courtesy of the author My family initially resisted hospice care for my father. Home hospice eased the burden on my mother and improved my dad's comfort. The experience completely changed my understanding of end-of-life care. After years of witnessing my father's physical decline , my three brothers and I tried to encourage our mom to look into nursing home facilities or other forms of help to come to the house. Both were far too expensive. Yet the constant caregiving was really taking a toll on our mom, a woman 13 years his senior but also a cancer survivor with many of her own medical problems. Growing up in a Greek community, I've seen other women struggle with putting their spouse in the care of others, feeling it is just too emotional.