Unfortunately, Mom had an acquaintance who reinforced this belief, and even helped Mom leave one facility without being properly discharged. That escapade resulted in her being back in the hospital in 18 hours. This very personal book describes the difficult and heartbreaking journey, complicated by significant financial challenges, legal issues, the complexities of the healthcare systems, and family drama. The experience illustrates how important it is to have open discussions about end-of-life desires with your family members, to review finances, and to make and document plans.

Not talking about these things doesn't cause them to go away, it just makes it harder to deal with them. Ultimately, much to her profound disappointment, the reality of mom's physical condition, together with her financial limitations, made her desire to go home unattainable.