At the end of life, there is so much mystery, so much we don't know. But because of the work of Barbara Karnes, we do have a map of the physical territory. Just knowing that what is happening to a loved one at the end is part of the natural process of dying can be a tremendous comfort. How did Barbara come to write her seminal books to support hospice patients and their families? What feeds her passion for educating all of us about what to expect at the end of life, and how to support each other? What changes has she seen in the field over her long career? Join us to find out.

Gone From My Sight

Laughter has a positive affect on the mind, body, and spirit.  This is a clip from our Five for Friday podcast episode #072, where we discuss the power of laughter to help with learning.  For more information, visit our website at www.theheartofhospice.com/podcast.

The Heart of Hospice

5 for Friday, How Humor Affects the Mind trailer

While at the bedside of hundreds of people during the dying process, Barbara Karnes noticed that each death was following a near identical script. Each person was going through the stages of death in almost the same manner. And most families had the same questions. These realizations led Barbara to sit down and write the "Little Blue Book." The book that changed an industry. 

Gone From My Sight has been in print continuously since 1985 and has sold over thirty million copies. Although it is often imitated, it remains the most widely used patient/family handout on signs of approaching death in the United States. It is the original source. With its publication and distribution, Barbara created one of the most important tools in the Hospice movement today: the patient/family educational booklet.

"New Rules for End of Life Care," "Care For The Caregiver," and "This Is How People Die," Barbara's DVD projects, are starting conversations and garnering awards - in this country and around the world. In these films, Barbara compassionately explains the stages of the dying process, talks about behavior changes as they pertain to food, sleep, and withdrawal, and addresses issues relating to the use of narcotics, addiction, and overdosing. She explains how important it is to take care of yourself as a caregiver as well as guidelines to help you do that personally and with your caregiving team.

“We don’t understand that there’s a normal, natural way of dying,” she says. “My goal is to help neutralize the fear that families and significant others bring to the bedside during the end of life experience.”

Barbara Karnes, RN, is an internationally respected speaker, educator, author, and thought leader on matters of end of life. She is a renowned authority to explain the dying process to families, healthcare professionals, and the community at large.

Barbara has held both clinical and leadership positions, including staff nurse, clinical supervisor, and executive director at Hospices and Home Health Care agencies.

An award-winning nurse and end of life educator, in 2018 Barbara was honored by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization as a HOSPICE INNOVATOR. She was awarded THE INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN WOMAN OF THE YEAR 2015 from the World Humanitarian Awards. As well as THE HEART OF HEALTH CARE AWARD from Kansas University Nursing and THE HORIZON AWARD for Education from Nebraska Methodist College.

Since 1994, Barbara has traveled the country speaking about end of life issues and the dynamics of dying at national and state hospice and palliative care organization conferences, state associations, colleges, nursing schools, hospitals, and hospices. She is the expert that hospice and other healthcare professionals count on to teach them how to explain the dying process to families.

Barbara Karnes writes the popular blog, "Something to Think About: a blog on end of life," and maintains an active presence in social media with online communities on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo and Twitter.

Barbara has dedicated the last 38 years of her life to the education, care, and comforting of dying people and their loved ones. The most useful things she's learned along the way have been distilled into her materials.

Gone From My Sight

Barbara Karnes Books: End of Life Education

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