I spend a lot of time talking about the beautiful side of death. Working in hospice has allowed me an opportunity to see death in a way...

When I applied to nursing school, it was with my full intention to become a hospice nurse; I never entertained anything else. I knew with...

Despite my experience working in the end-of-life field, sometimes I still need to be reminded that this is someone else’s experience and...

I have said this before… but people have a tendency not to ask me how my day was because they are afraid that I am going to tell them. In...

I went to dinner recently and I had to walk two blocks to get to the restaurant. It was really cold and pouring down rain and I forgot to...

When you work in hospice, you are constantly reminded of what it is like to lose someone you love. I am still trying to process the loss...

For the past few years, when appropriate, I have asked some of my patients what it feels like to die. My reason for this is because I...

After someone takes their last breath, I stay with the family and I provide comfort, support and active listening. I have a number of...

Being present is not something that just magically happens because someone suggests you do it, and in my opinion, it is not something we...

Very rarely do I actually take a lunch break when I am working, even less often do I go inside somewhere and sit down. But on one random...

When you or someone you love begins hospice care, it comes with a team of amazing humans who provide comfort and support at the end of...

If I could have my choice, I would have a death that was entirely comforted by compassionate and loving tactile stimuli, but the truth is...

Awhile back I received a call from the daughter of a patient who had passed away. She had spent the past two years providing the most...

I had a conversation once with a patient about the things she wished she had done before she got sick. She talked about the places she...

When you or someone you love receives a hospice order, it is with the understanding that there is only 6 months or less to live. That...

I went to the funeral of a patient yesterday; this is not something I do often. Once in awhile a patient and their family finds a space...

Death does not come in a “one size fits all” category; it is not usually predictable, and very rarely planned and it will never become...

I think one of the most important qualities a person can have, is the ability to truly listen. Have you ever been with someone when you...

I woke up yesterday morning prepared to visit a patient whom I knew was nearing her end. I texted her son and said I was on my way. He...

When I was a little girl, my mother used to sew; she was at her sewing machine often. I wish I knew then what I know now about how much...