Recent Stories
Dear Dr. Niemeyer, I have a friend who is dying and I want to do something to honor her before she passes away. I was always taught to honor someone before they die. Do you have any ideas of what I could do for her? She is an elderly lady. Thank you! Mary Dear Mary, […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, What are the effects from parents who have passed away? Mine both had cancers and they both passed away a year and a half apart. It has caused me a lot of grieving, crying, a lot loss of memory, forgetfulness, anger and not wanting too move on. It’s been very hard for […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, It’s been a year and a half since my husband died of cancer. I’ll soon be relatively healthy 70. He would have been 74. I am recovering but wondering if the grieving process brings any gifts or lessons other than the arduous rebuilding of myself as a person living alone. Lee Dear […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My wife of over fifty years died a little over a year ago from a stroke. I have talked with my pastor, a psychologist, my family and friends and it seems nothing helps me. I was her caregiver for about eight years, which given the opportunity I would do it all again. I […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My mother died over six years ago and I’m still waiting to grieve her death and not feel numb towards her passing. Both my father and I cared for her for a long time. I lived several hours away from my parents but the doctors would call me all hours of the […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My father had schizophrenia and I am so proud of how he managed his illness. He will continue to be an inspiration to me and I do direct my son, who struggles with mental illness, to grandpa’s example. My father found that walking cleared his thoughts and decreased the symptoms of depression. […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, The wife of a close friend of nearly 50 years passed away from ALS. We spoke each week at least once and I visited her when I could. I actually emailed her more towards the end since she longer could speak. The bottom line was that she asked me a few months […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My teenage son was electrocuted at home accidentally almost 20 years ago. My counselor is not happy with my saying he was killed. I know the difference because about three decades ago, another toddler son died from a cerebral aneurysm , so in my eyes one died and one was killed and to me […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I work on an oncology unit in a large metropolitan hospital as a senior nurse, supervising several RNs and nursing assistants who care for many seriously ill patients. Although most of the care we provide supports their recovery, we also lose many patients each week, some of whom are offered palliative care […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My question is related to the bulk of my role as a hospice bereavement coordinator, which is to reach out via telephone to identified bereaved family members of our hospice patients after the patient has passed. The bereavement model employed is a “clean break” model, meaning the team that cared for the family prior […]
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