A frequent theme in conversations I have with those who are about to say goodbye to someone they love, is that they wish they would have ...

Working in end-of-life care has me questioning my own mortality often. I can’t help but ask myself how much time I have left, or if I hav...

When I first walked into the room of a woman who was dying, I was a little taken back by how dark it was. It didn’t feel as though this w...

I had the honor recently of walking through a forest with the wife of a man who died way too young. Her goal is to scatter just a few of ...

One of the things I have really grown deep appreciation for while working in hospice, is the different members of the team and the role t...

For many years I have sat at bedsides witnessing people die; this is the work I do, I am a hospice nurse. I have held thousands of hands,...

When I was in my early twenties, my mother was diagnosed with cancer and given a year to live. I sat at her bedside and talked about all ...

The first thing I noticed when I met them, was the way he looked at her. It was far more than love alone, it was trust, and compassion an...

I will start by saying that I am not a very religious person. I do not practice any particular faith, nor have I made a commitment to a s...

Have you ever thought about the music you want played at your death bed? We put a lot of thought into music we want at weddings, and we a...

At the end of your day, do you think about how many times you might have felt joy? I have been thinking a lot about this, especially rece...

In this time of so much controversy, so many personal opinions differ, and while some keep it to themselves, others are quite vocal. How ...

I was recently visiting a patient who has lost his ability to speak clearly, and although he says many words, they are random, and did no...

Every day for the last year of her 95 years, she sat in her cozy chair in the corner of her room and looked out the window. She sipped he...

When you work in hospice, talking about death is something you become very used to, and are usually not uncomfortable with. Sometimes I f...

Over the years as I have started to evolve in the care of patients at the end of life, I have found that what I am drawn to most is how t...

A few weeks ago, I received a message from someone I am connected with on Facebook, but I have never met. Like myself, she is a hospice n...

Before I became a hospice nurse and all through nursing school, I was a caregiver for a husband and wife who were in their 80’s. I took c...

I am writing this on the day of my graduation of a program that certified me to become an end of life doula. I have spent most of the mor...

Every morning I wake up the same way; I check the time, thankful for the additional twenty minutes I usually end up having before I need ...