Alan Dickson plays a game of Bridge at the Bridge Club of Houston, Tuesday, March 28, 2017, in Spring, Texas.
Returning from shopping, Alan uses his walker to carry his groceries into his apartment Tuesday, March 28, 2017. When he still had an appetite, Alan stocked up on beer, Shepherd’s Pie and butterscotch pudding. But by March, his hunger had already begun to wane. He could feel his energy drifting as he tried to keep up with regular outings, including a weekly Tuesday bridge game, walking his dog, Pal, and short trips to the supermarket.
Terrie Adcock, a social worker with Houston Hospice, left, Alan's son, Brad, and Alan, go over legal paperwork at Brad's home, Wednesday, April 5, 2017. The conversation turned contentious as Alan expressed that he would rather spend his last days at his apartment than at his son's home.
Not able to walk for very long, Alan sits and watches as Pal sniffs the grass outside the apartment, Friday, April 7, 2017. A large reason Alan lives by himself is so he can have Pal. As Alan's health faded, he would later have to give Pal up - something he put off as long as he could.
Families return from Easter egg hunting as Alan waits for Carol, Grace and Matthew, Friday, April 14, 2017.
Matthew sits on Alan's lap as they wait to meet the Easter Bunny Friday, April 14, 2017. Alan didn't have a great relationship with Matthew. When asked about it, he said it was "improving."
Alan looks at an old photograph of the Hotel del Coronado in California where he grew up. A photo from his wedding day sits in the pile. Alan initially moved in with Brad, his daughter-in-law, Grace, and their six-year-old son, Matthew. Alan’s estranged wife, Carol, was also living in the house to help care for Matthew. Carol and Alan got under each other’s skin; they had separated more than 15 years earlier because living under the same roof proved impossible.
A bag of pills and medications sit on Alan's table as he prepares dinner Friday, April 21, 2017. He takes multiple forms of medication throughout the day.
A can of Busch Beer sits beside his plate as Alan takes a break from the chicken and potatoes he cooked for dinner, Friday, April 21, 2017 in Houston. "I'm not supposed to drink," he said.
Brad and Alan watch a Clint Eastwood movie at Alan's apartment, Saturday May 6, 2017. Days before, Brad moved in to take care of him after Alan expressed the thought of suicide. Over the weekend, he had experienced a surge, a common phase in the dying process during which a person undergoes a wave of clarity, hours or days before death. Terrie described it as a final gift to the family. Brad took advantage by setting up a Clint Eastwood movie marathon and buying ice cream.
Brad helps his father out of the bathroom after changing his diaper Saturday, May 6, 2017.
Alan looks at a dose of morphine before administering it himself, Saturday, May 6, 2017.
Alan sits with his family in his living room, Sunday, May 7, 2017. Although he had a surge, by the end of the day on Sunday, Alan had grown lethargic again.
Grace feeds Alan water with a sponge, Wednesday, May 10, 2017. “Probably one of the hardest parts of hospice is when a patient doesn’t want to eat and the family thinks they’re starving them," Terrie said. "And they’re not. At the end of life, that’s just a natural progression. When you’re sick, you don’t eat. And he’s very sick.”
Father Raphael, a chaplain from Houston Hospice, prays over Alan Thursday, May 11, 2017. During the prayer, Alan mustered the strength to squeeze Brad’s hand.
Brad scatters Alan’s ashes in Galveston per Alan’s request, May 27, 2017.
A room that was once filled with the noise from an oxygen machine and voices from family caring for Alan sits quiet moments after Alan's body was removed. Brad began to clean the apartment as a way of coping with his father’s death.
Brad scatters Alan’s ashes in Galveston per Alan’s request, May 27, 2017.
People

Life and Death in Hospice Care

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By Cody Duty June 30, 2017

Life and Death in Hospice Care

The above images document Alan’s last months of life in hospice care, after being diagnosed with lung cancer and suffering a heart attack. In January 2016, Alan’s only living son, Brad, flew to Syracuse, New York, and begged his father to move out of his rundown home and relocate closer to family in Texas, where he was cared for by Houston Hospice. Alan died early in the morning of May 12.

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