Something to Think About

a blog on end of life

We love sharing helpful info on our blog.

About the BK Team
Always Offer, Never Force: Food At End of Life

My husband Jack  has been dead eight months. In processing the five months from his diagnosis to his death, what stands out most for me is the tension that surrounded food....

When Our Emotions Blind Us From What is Happening

I knew all the signs of approaching death, of labor beginning. What I didn’t know was how much we don’t want to see those signs, and by not wanting to see them,...

Caring For an Elder Who Needs to Eat

The elderly, after a fall or illness, often are not much interested in eating. If there are no other health issues, they gradually return to normal eating. In the meantime...

Hospice Innovator Barbara Karnes, RN explains the 3 Signs of Approaching Death from Disease or Old Age

 Know that all of these signs of approaching death, whether indicating months or weeks, are just guideposts. Some people will show all of them...

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?...

Developing End of Life Expertise by Barbara Karnes, RN

You have to walk the walk before you can talk the talk. Learn from your patient/family interactions. At the same time read everything you can get your hands on...

A PLACE IN MY HEART, When A Pet Dies by Barbara Karnes, RN

We can be as much at a loss when our pet is dying as we are when a person is dying but there doesn’t seem to be the support and...

Calories Count by Barbara Karnes, RN

When living with a life threatening illness we are eating for two---our physical body and our disease. In most cases the disease eats before we do. If we don’t eat,...

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...

Grief During the Last Stages of His Life

From the moment of a diagnosis of a life threatening illness we begin grieving. We grieve not just the eventual losses that come with serious illness but the approaching death...

Telling A Loved One They're Dying by Barbara Karnes, RN www.bkbooks.com

...not telling a person they can’t be fixed is taking away their opportunity to do and say that which is important to them. It is taking away their ability to...

Food and the Dying process by Barbara Karnes, RN BKBOOKS.COM

As a person enters the dying process, months before death occurs, they will gradually stop eating. Months before death they will stop eating meats, then fruits and vegetables, then soft...

Caring for the Alzheimer's Patient

Living with someone who has dementia is a daily challenge. It requires the constant reminder that this person is not who they once were. It presents the challenge of learning...

What Does the Future Hold for Mom With ALS?

Is life worth living with all this assistance? For some it will be, for others is won’t...

Staff Concerned "We Are Starving Mom To Death"

Food is the body’s anchor to this planet. It is what keeps us going, gives us energy, grounds us. As death from disease approaches the body doesn’t want the grounding,...

It Is Okay For Our Loved One to Not Eat

It’s okay for our loved one not to eat once they have entered the dying process. They are reaching a point of just not being able to eat. The body doesn’t want...