This article is reprinted by permission from NextAvenue.org. Several months ago, my father decided that after eight years of fighting his cancer with immunotherapy, he wanted to stop treatment. His oncologist supported his decision and said my father would qualify for at-home hospice care.
While I had heard of hospice, I didn’t fully understand what end-of-life care would entail. So to prepare for what was to come and be able to support my father fully, I did a lot of research online to educate myself. To my surprise, one of the best resources was a woman on TikTok named Julie McFadden (@HospiceNurseJulie),40, a hospice nurse and educator. I never expected that my kids’ platform for entertainment would provide me with so much valuable information.Why medical professionals go on TikTok As a hospice nurse, McFadden provides end-of-life care and supports to terminal patients and their loved ones. She has also helped many of her friends through losing their parents. McFadden says, “Even though death is a natural part of life, there is a lack of understanding about the realities of death. Friends I have helped always said, ‘I didn’t know this would happen or that this is normal at the end of life. People need to know this stuff.’ I had insights that could help people.” McFadden knew about TikTok from her teenage nieces. “I had never thought about using social media as a vehicle to discuss ho …