For Families

You’re Not Imagining It.
Something Is Changing.

Here’s how to start making sense of what’s happening and what may come next.

(1) Living With Advanced Illness: Longitudinal Study of Patient, Family, and Caregiver Needs. PubMed (NIH). (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3442758/)

When someone we love is seriously ill, so many families report they feel communication isn’t clear and they are often trying to interpret what is happening. (See 1, under picture to the left.)

Things can shift quickly and decisions begin to stack up and there is a growing sense of urgency. And it may feel that no one is clearly explaining what’s actually happening, because what you see and experience is not what you are hearing from the various professionals.

This page will help you:

  • understand what stage you may actually be in
  • recognize what’s changing (even if no one is saying it out loud)
  • see what typically happens next so you’re not caught off guard

So you’re not trying to figure everything out alone.
~Deanna

Start Here

The Care Transition Timeline

Treatments begin to stop working
The scans, labs, and “we’ll try this next” conversations aren’t bringing things back. Something in you knows this is a turning point.
“New normal” time of decline
Life reshapes itself around symptoms, fatigue, side effects, and a shifting baseline. You’re adjusting week by week.
Advanced illness
Symptoms take more attention. Good days are fewer. You’re doing more hands-on care and quietly wondering how much longer things can go on like this.
Pre-hospice time
It’s “too soon” for hospice—at least that’s what people say—but you know things are changing. Conversations get heavier. You’re not sure what support to ask for.
Hospice time
Comfort becomes the focus. The care team shifts from curing to easing. Families feel relief and heartbreak at the same time, trying to make the most of what’s left.

If you’re unsure where your loved one fits on this timeline, you’re probably already
in the “in-between time.”

The hardest part of serious illness is often knowing something is changing…
while no one seems to be naming it.

What you may be feeling (even if you
don’t have words for it yet) 👇

There’s often something happening in the background,
something you may not have words for yet, but it’s still there.

This is where families start adjusting emotionally,
often before they fully understand what’s changing medically.

You Don’t Need To Figure This Out Alone.

When families understand what stage they’re in, decisions become clearer.

You begin to recognize what matters now, what can wait, and what is likely coming next.

The hardest part of serious illness often happens before hospice begins.

That’s why I created the Family Journey.

The Family Journey

A clear roadmap from advanced illness through the end of life.
Built from 26 years of guiding families through serious illness,
before hospice, through hospice, and beyond.

Inside you’ll learn:

  • what matters most at each stage
  • What changes to expect
  • The decisions families commonly face

Included:

Ask Deanna.

Questions naturally come up as situations change.

“Submit your question anytime. Each month I answer selected family questions inside the Ask Deanna Audio Library so everyone benefits from the discussion while keeping personal details private.”

$97 USD
One-time purchase

✓ Lifetime access
✓ Ask Deanna included
✓ Practical guidance you can return to anytime

Thousands of families wish they had understood these stages sooner. The
Family Journey helps you understand them while you’re still living through them.

Begin The Family Journey

see everything that’s included →