Until the End

I could not let my Grandmother die alone.


I stayed with her from Thursday, April 14 until Tuesday, April 19, 2011.  During this time, I came to realize why she feared dying in a nursing home.

That five day experience has changed my life forever.  There is no dignity in dying in a nursing home.  There is no sense of familiarity or comfort.  It is cold and scary.  It is the worst experience I could ever imagine.

The only way I got through it was knowing that my Grandmother was with me.

Now, I share my Grandmother's fear of dying in a nursing home.