Book Review: Peaceful Passages by Kim West PhD

Peaceful Passages by Kim West PhD is an amazing book that deals with what one will go through when a loved one is dying.



From the Back Cover

YOUR LOVED ONE IS DYING...YOU'RE OVERWHELMED...
THE COUNTLESS DAY-TO-DAY LOGISTICAL DETAILS...
THE EMOTIONAL UPS AND DOWNS...ALL THE HOSPICE ARRANGEMENTS...
AND ON TOP OF IT ALL, WHO'S TAKING CARE OF YOU?

Taking care of a loved one on their final journey can be one of the richest, most life-affirming experiences you'll ever have. And perhaps the hardest one you'll ever go through. There's far more involved than just hospice details and your loved one's constant physical and emotional needs. There are your needs as well - as your "regular" life obligations collide head-on with this potentially all-encompassing commitment.

Enter Peaceful Passage, a true labor of love from professional counselor Kim West. West was at her mother's side during her last months of life, and chronicled the whole process in order to provide a comprehensive and proven blueprint for others to follow.

In the pages within, you'll find practical guidelines for:
- Determining first steps once you've heard the news
- Charting a course with hospice as your partner
- Dealing with your loved one's emotional roller-coaster
- Navigating demands of marriage, family, children and career
- Handling the daily, ongoing physical challenges and demands
- Confronting common fears and unresolved emotional issues
- Working through inner conflicts around faith and God
- Managing the myriad post-passage details and arrangements
- Finding closure, returning to routine and reflecting on the journey

Peaceful Passage is your essential, all-in-one guide to handling every aspect of this often heart-wrenching and heartwarming journey.

I really wasn't sure what to expect when I received this book to read and review. My mother does have stage 4 ovarian cancer, but she has been successfully fighting it so far. No, I'm not in denial, as the doctor said she is currently in remission. I do know that someday in the future, she will probably die from the cancer. At that time, I will want to use Peaceful Passages as a reference. Each chapter deals with a different aspect of the journey, from finding out your loved one is dying to the final end at home.

At the end of each chapter, there are workbook like pages for one to fill out. I found them extremely interesting and helpful. These pages will help keep things organized during that stressful time. Plus, there were questions in the pages to answer that I didn't really think about until I saw them. In a way, it was a little scary to read, because I don't want to think about some of this stuff (like funeral arrangements) right now. It is important information one needs to deal with when a loved one is in the process of dying though.

The last part of Peaceful Passages is Kim's diary account of her mother's last few months. It's very sad and touching, and Kim handled it well. I hope I can handle my mother's eventual passing that well.

I give this book 5 stars. I thought enough of this book to give it to a friend. Julie's mother is dying of cancer and has stopped all treatment. Her mother has not contacted hospice yet, but Julie knows it will be in her mother's future. The family has a lot of difficult decisions to make and I believe this book will help.



About the Author:

Kim West holds a PhD in Clinical Pastoral Counseling and a Master of Divinity in Counseling and Family, but when her own mother became ill with terminal cancer she found that she had no hands-on knowledge of how to take care of her.

As a counselor she knew to journal her own experience to help her process her grief at losing her mother and she knew how to help her mother finish her life well and be prepared for the life to come. But the day-to-day of taking care of her mother as she died would require learning a whole new set of caring skills. And learn she did.

After completing her own journey with her mother she knew she had to help others who would travel this same path. Peaceful Passage is a merging of her years of counseling experience and the new skills she learned caring for her mother combined with her heart to help and to heal. (Thank you Connie for the Author portion).

I was given a copy of Peaceful Passages to read and review by Christian Women's Affiliates. The views and opinions are all my own.