Customer Reviews

When Autumn Comes: Creating Compassionate Care for the Dying

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I found "When Autumn Comes" to be very inspiring as well as comforting reading at the time my father was passing on. I think more than anything it helped me to recognize my own agenda vs. my father's real needs and state of mind. This book helped me to not be so afraid of death and instead to support my father and actually encourage him in this process by my mindful presence. I will never forget this rich experience of being at his side until the moment when he took his final breath. It was an honor, a joy and a privilege and I am so grateful to have had this guidebook for support to enhance my spiritual understanding of the death process.

The stories Ms. Bennett tells in When Autumn Comes have the power to penetrate deeply into relationship spaces most of us are unwilling to go without a guide. She has learned the sacred art of listening, and challenges me to ask this burning question everywhere I go these days, "How can I help?"

When Autumn Comes provides valuable insight into the profoundly compassionate work of a hospice volunteer. Bennett's heartfelt stories of companionship with the dying will touch and inspire all who open their hearts to her message. A well-written and moving book.
Cheryl MacDonald, Compassionate Care Facilitator for Faith Community

When Autumn Comes, by Mary Jo Bennett is amazing! An invaluable resource and guide, it deals with some of the most profound and difficult issues surrounding death, in readily accessible language. Not only is this book a must-read for those who are directly or indirectly involved in the care and support of the dying, it is also appropriate for those of us whose loved ones will soon be in that life stage, and for all spiritually-minded people who want to live their lives mindful of their own mortality.

When Autumn Comes is a glimpse into both the range and depth of experience possible when attending the dying, as a loved one or as a hospice volunteer. Ms. Bennett's naked accounts of the tender beauty of attending life and death, as well as the inherent pain, are illuminating and inspiring. All new hospice volunteers, and most of us facing the death of a loved, one would benefit from the opportunity of seeing death through the eyes of one with the heart and integrity of Ms Bennett.

I have been an RN for over 30 years and a hospice nurse for 14 years. As I read When Autumn Comes I discovered how Mary Jo Bennett brings her gift of listening with her whole heart to each encounter with those approaching death. It is clear that she offers a caring and quiet spirit to her patients and shows how we can also.

The experiences of dying individuals in this book were compelling and insightful. Each chapter tells a story of a hospice patient's unique situation and challenges from the perspective of a volunteer. In the margins, the author would pose insightful questions about ethical dilemmas, boundary issues, or problems, that she encountered in this particular assignment. For this reason, selected chapters might serve as effective case studies and be suitable for a training class or discussion group for hospice volunteers.

There is a glossary of medical and hospice terms in the back of the book and a very practical chapter on the physiological process as one is actively dying. Although the author writes openly about her sadness and feelings of ambivalence and conflict, her personal story speaks for the value of compassion in this line of work yet the tone is never maudlin or despondent. Personal opinions are balanced with pragmatism.

In summary, I would recommend this book to hospice volunteers but also to people who are trying to get a deeper understanding of the general hospice experience.

I was pleasantly surprised and enlightened by reading this informative book on hospice care. Very well done, with an interesting personal touch.