Something to Think About

a blog on end of life

We love sharing helpful info on our blog.

About the BK Team
"We've done the best we can and we can't fix you..."

Someone has to have the courage to say “We’ve done the best we can. We can’t fix you. Let us help you have some quality time”.

Let's View Living as More Than the Quantity of Breaths We Take

I want the medical profession, the medical model we find in doctors’ offices and hospitals, to do everything possible to help me not only regain my health, but to return...

Did the AIDS Epidemic Set Us Up To Handle COVID-19? by Barbara Karnes, RN

There are many of the same circumstances with today’s coronavirus as we faced with  HIV/AIDS in the early years— lack of medical knowledge, lack of guidance, and fear. I think...

We've Just Begun Social Distancing~ Here Are My Thoughts by Barbara Karnes, RN

Isolation from others is teaching me this about my self ——- I do a lot for others, for their thoughts of me, why else do I wear makeup? Get dressed?...

Setting Up A Hospice Program by Barbara Karnes, RN

...You really don't need a doctor or nurse at the bedside when someone is dying. You need someone who understands the natural way people die and can educate and guide...

Where Is The Hospice I Know And Love? by Barbara Karnes, RN www.bkbooks.com

Hospice can not take the experience and sadness of a loved one dying away. Our goal is to help the family create a sacred experience, to help their loved one...

The Balancing Act of Caring for the Dying by Barbara Karnes, RN

For healthcare professionals it is often a balancing act to care for patients and then deal with the sense of futility that is triggered when they are doing their job...

DYING Young or Old, The Signs Are The Same by Barbara Karnes, RN

There are other signs of approaching death that indicate a person with a disease (at any age) has weeks to live...

This Is How People Die, A New Film By Barbara Karnes, RN : Award Winning End of Life Educator & Hospice Pioneer

My message throughout all this time has been to educate, educate, educate. Educate anyone who will listen about how people die. To help people understand how death comes, what it...

Nursing Home Blues, Part 2 by Barbara Karnes, RN

...Fortunately, I suppose, my mother is now bed-bound and we were able toget Hospice to help out, so she now fits the bill for a 'model patient'... but itstill seems...

How Do I Pick A Good Hospice? by Barbara Karnes, RN  www.bkbooks.com

There have been many changes in hospice care since it began. Some for the better, some not so much. What I am suggesting as representing a “good” hospice is becoming...

Hospice Middle Management & Oreo Cookies by Barbara Karnes, RN www.bkbooks.com

Many years ago I attended a workshop at The Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas. The topic was about when a clinician enters the administration work field. I don’t remember much...