[Clayton’s] stories address when hospice is appropriate, how and where hospice care is given, the needs of the dying and their caregivers, how care is personalized, and most importantly the benefits of meaningful relationships between all involved—patients, families, and their lay and professional care providers. An added benefit of the story format is that it demonstrates through examples how to establish meaningful relationships, making the book valuable not only to people and families approaching the end of life but also professional healthcare providers, who often lack experience giving end of life care and who may themselves be grappling with their own uncertainties

Choice Reviews

“Hospice is extraordinary!” With this opening line, Clayton, a social worker and sociologist, declares her advocacy. In what she calls “a gentle book about a difficult subject,” she spells out the benefits of compassionate care for people who can’t get more “curative” treatment, or who don’t want more of it.... Clayton offers useful advice, including good tips on how to make last days more pleasant for both the patient and caregivers. Deepened by Clayton's feeling that it is an honor to find ways to help people say goodbye to their loved ones, this guide is invaluable.

Booklist

Demystifying Hospice is an excellent addition to the hospice literature. Clayton has detailed wonderful stories about the hospice experience. It is well written and filled with compassion. I strongly recommend this book for all those who are interested in Hospice and learning more about the Hospice philosophy of care.

Robert W. Buckingham, Professor of Public Health, University of Michigan-Flint

Karen Clayton invites us into the world of hospice through stories that reflect her passion for her patients and families and a rare view into the role of the hospice social worker. It provides a missing piece for the training of interdisciplinary team members regarding creating conversations focused on the psychosocial and emotional issues, an easy read, and filled with resources and information.

Carla Jolley, Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner/Coordinator of Palliative Care Consult Service, WhidbeyHealth Medical Center

Demystifying Hospice provides incredibly useful and easily accessible information for patients and families facing incurable illness, including detailed description of hospice services and philosophy. Karen "Kay" Clayton's use of compelling stories, gathered throughout a career of service, demonstrates the healing power that can be harnessed through the hospice approach. Any person who feels the challenge to help a loved one through terminal illness would find this reading a blessed gift, with equal doses of practical wisdom and inspirational stories. This introduction to hospice care displays delicate conversations with those facing fear and uncertainty, alongside whispered stories of exceptional daily service that is the 'stuff' of hospice. The reader will grow to understand through this reading the reasons and ways to access hospice, the teams that fuel hospice service, and the societal, economic, and institutional barriers that limit and delay hospice services for many. I strongly recommend this book as a 'stocking stuffer' to those many who encounter loss, challenge, or discomfort through advanced illness or aging.

Daniel L. Handel, Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine