The First Time I Had to Tell a Family That Their Loved One Passed Away

Thank you for your beautifully written article. End of life experiences are always difficult.......some more than others. As challenging as they are, I still feel blessed to be able to share these special moments with the patient and their family.

That was sad. It is really hard to tell someone that their patient had died. I usually call my workmate to do the stuff.

I've had to notify several family members of when their loved one died and there is no easy way to tell them. I always refrain from using the word expired. I have used, "died or passed".

I don't think you could have handled it any more perfectly than that.

But you are a superhero. That was so beautifully written, and so eloquent. You are the nurse that every hospital in this nation- in this world- needs more of. That is exactly what nursing is about.

That sounds so difficult... I would be speechless in your shoes as well.You handled it amazingly.Thank you from just another stranger on allnurses.

I think you handled it great.

I hope when I have to care for a person actively dying I handle it as amazing as you did. I remember my first job out of nursing school in LTC, I came to work & a resident passed on. Thankfully she passed on the previous nurses' shift so I didn't have to do anything. But when the morgue people got there, they asked me to help move her. I had never seen a dead body before, never been to a funeral, nothing. So to say the least I was freaked. When they said ok, we're gonna move her, my wonderful reply was "I have to touch her??". Looking back I wish I handled it differently but I was just in such shock.

It was perfect. You are exactly what a nurse is suppose to be....caring, understanding, empathetic.

You are the inspiration that some people need to be able to make it through something as tough as telling someone that their family member passed away. Thank you for this beautiful piece of art.

That was the hardest thing I ever had to do as a nurse to tell the family that the patient had died. The first words are I am sorry and the words come from your heart not your brain.

Very nice article.I make a distinction between actively dying and actively living.Most hospice patients are still actively living when they sign their election of benefit. They are dying, certainly, but mostly they are still engaged in living.When they make that transition the hospice care changes.As an aside to the core of the article. I always tell the family member what I am going to do, that I am going to confirm what they suspect and that it will take me a minute or so. While I am listening for that eternal 60 secs I also feel for a pulse. I smooth their hair (presuming they still have some) and gently stroke their cheek (are they cool to touch?). I touch their eyelids to check for blink. I hold their hand. It is different in the hospital than it is in the family home, never easy though.Good job!