Caring Companions Of Atlanta

Helping People Live With Dignity

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Letting Go

I spend a good bit of time around people nearing the end of their lives. I volunteer at hospice now (no…it is not a depressing place…but I will save that for another post!) and I went through a hospice with my mom years ago. It had a significant impact and made me navigate how families handle the end of their life. I remember a conversation I had with a nurse/social worker at the hospice that focused on letting go and preparing for death. I had been showing little videos of my kids to mom. I wondered if that was helping or hurting the process…if the sharing was more for me?!

Years later, I went to visit a dear aunt going through home hospice. She was a very vibrant woman in life…had a passion for baseball (she loved the St. Louise Cardinals!), loved eating out a certainly enjoyed a good laugh. While I was there, I remember talking to her about what she was feeling. She said she was not afraid…but that many of the things she valued so much seemed so much less important. No baseball on the TV…no TV as I recall. No reading of the paper or wondering about the news. In hind sight, I think she too was letting go.

It is an interesting concept…a dying person needs vs. those of the family and loved ones. They do not always align. As a survivor, we tend to cling on to memories and try to maximize the time we have. While there is absolutely a place and time for reflection, there also seems to be a point where letting go is necessary. Like all things human, each case is different.

In my reading I came across the article below which is not long, but very accurately shares one scenario. It was on Aging.com and was written by a Blogger names Anna Keizer. I found it uplifting in a way…and made me pause to think that when we are faced with a loss, perhaps we need to leave consider going with the flow and not holding on too tight.

My Nightly Ritual With Dad

 

Adam Seever, Owner
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About Adam Seever, Owner

The son of two social workers, Adam grew up in Chicago and lived there for over 30 years. He began his career at a Chicago-based marketing services agency determined to make his mark in the industry. In 1997 Adam moved to Atlanta while working for the Coca-Cola Company, where he spent 8 years in their sports marketing division. Adam left Coke in 2001 to join Clear Channel Entertainment and later went on to work both domestically and internationally for the World's largest sports agency, International Management Group. Adam eventually worked as a consultant and spearheaded numerous high profile projects including the building of Coke’s iconic Coke bottle at Turner Field in Atlanta. While Adam always felt lucky to have worked in the exciting world of marketing, he also felt the need to participate in something with more of a connection to the community. That quest eventually led him to earn his CNA degree and become an owner of Caring Companions of Atlanta, LLC.
Adam is married and he and his wife have two younger children. The family shares their home with two cats and two hermit crabs. The kids are working hard to get mommy and daddy to add a puppy...time will tell! They live in Sandy Springs and are active in the senior community.