Slow Dancing at Death's Door: Helping Your Parent Through the Last Stages of Life

by Amy C. Baker

Book Overview

She wiped away your tears when you skinned your knee. he taught you how to drive a stick shift. Together, they raised you to be the person you are today. They seemed invincible, but now things have... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0781442621
• ISBN13: 9780781442626
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Life Journey
• Length: 253 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Slow Dancing at Death's Door

Slow Dancing at Death's Door is a candid account of the author's experiences as her parents reached their final days. She shares her feelings of frustration, grief, anger, and all of those things she wish she hadn't said or did. For individuals suffering through similar circumstances will see themselves in the author's words, feel an instant connection to her most secret thoughts, and will take comfort in that they aren't alone in these aspects. In addition to this very comforting material, the author also includes information to help educate the reader on things such as wills, power of attorney, and making preparation for all of those things we'd much rather put off. Despite our need to stay in denial, these simple preparations will not only make things run smoother in the long run but actually assure that your parents' wishes are fulfilled. The author also urges people to really get to know their parents (their life before you were born, their stories, what they value, etc) and make a loving connection. This action is particularly important for those who have had falling outs with their parents.

Great Book about problems encountered when a parent is dieing

This book was extremely helpful. I recently lost my mother to cancer and I had alot of unanswered questions. This book was a god-send. I advise anyone that finds themselves in the same shoes of god forbid losing a parent to illness or accident, to get this book.. She uses some scripture from the bible and her personal experience is an added plus. Not just an author making up the answer and the story,she has actually been there. So do yourself a favor and get this book if you have questions about a parents death.

Seeing Death Off with Integrity

It is impressive to see that a woman, Amy C. Baker, from the corporate world has stepped forward to show us our deepest human value: the need for serving our departing generation. Her book Slow Dancing at Death's Door (Life Journey/Cook International, Colorado, 2006) incarnates a healthy form of what has been called `Survivor's Syndrome'. Amy Baker exhausts her experience of anger, frustration, loneliness, and grief, that are the lot of so many aging members of our `Sandwich Generation', and comes out with an enlightening lesson: forgiving for not knowing better. Losing her mother to cancer and father to Hepatitis C, Amy Baker recounts what it feels like losing your loved ones and how best you can play your role of a caring child, at the same time a spouse, a parent, a responsible employee, and many temporary roles that one is obliged to take in life. That business world has not calcified her human spirit shows in Baker's account of all she did for her dying parents to claim her success as a humane being. That she is an intelligent writer is evident from the warmth and energy of emotion that saturate her expression throughout the book. As Amy Baker maturely embellishes her passages with good-hearted humor, the gravity of a subject like death (and that of one's own parents) has no chance to oppress or offend the reader. However, Baker does more than that. With her faith, she illustrates the falsity of our perfection-seeking attitude towards life, thus showing us the importance to shed our slough of self-centeredness while at the same time not overlooking the need to take care of ourselves in order to be able to care for our parents. The emphasis is on growth not only in flesh and blood but more so in human spirit. On the practical side, we can see advice on hospice, management of ailing parents, and legal matters pertaining to inheritance, estate panning, and wills. The nonconformist reader might frown over Baker's frequent resort to biblical quotes, which are seen as the source of inspiration and divine power. This does become a bit obtrusive, especially at end of the book, where the author discusses preserving family history for future generations. Nevertheless, the spontaneity of her account of her parents' death holds high her attempt to `light beacons of hope' in her reader's heart. The touching beauty of Amy Baker's tapestry of words in paying homage to her late parents is heart winning. She is one writer who emerges victorious from her situation as a caring survivor.

A Helpful Book For All!

Author Amy C. Baker has touched upon a cord in her new work, "Slow Dancing At Death's Door." This work is in a way a journal of her experience in dealing with the life and death of her parents. Now wait, yes it is an emotional read, but one that is done with such honesty and heart-felt compassion and understanding that all of us who are facing the same dilemma will breath a sigh of relief as we devour each morsel of this writing. Our author shares some of her parents lives with us, their personality,their good and some of their bad traits and her relationship with them. She takes us on some rides down memory lane and brings us to the point of their departure into eternity. In this work we learn about such things as, "Living Wills," "Medical Power of Attorney," and "Hospice," to name a few. Listen, if you have aging parents you are either going to deal with these issues now or later, and later is not a good idea. I know for those of us who have aging parents this is an issue we would much rather sweep under the rug, but guess what? It's going to come seeping out and there isn't a thing in this world you can do to stop it. I loved this book because the writing was honest and held invaluable information that is needed, yet it was laced with strong faith in a God who will strengthen us and be with us. A realization that in life there is death in death there is eternity and it is a road we are all traveling. This work will help you to help those who are passing through the door to have a much happier departure and you to have a much less stressful goodbye. I cannot recommend this highly enough for all those who have aging parents. the encouragement, advice and strength you will obtain from this book is irreplaceable. A must have! Shirley Johnson Senior Reviewer MidWest Book Review