One Foot In Heaven: Journey of a Hospice Nurse

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Heidi Telpner is a nurse with years of experience, primarily in hospice care. In One Foot in Heaven, she provides readers with a brief but powerful look at the work of hospice and shares how she has witnessed many individuals and their families deal with death. Using a number of examples of people she worked with as they went through the end-of-life process, she tells readers about “good deaths” and “bad deaths” and reminds us all that while our society tends to push the notion aside, we all will one day experience death ourselves, and most of us will have to deal with family members’ or friends’ deaths in some way or another.

While one may initially think the book focuses on near-death experiences or addresses the spiritual or “supernatural” aspects to death (which it does do in small part), it primarily walks us all through what it’s like to watch someone go through the very natural and common process of preparing to die and gives basic pointers on the best ways to do so. Some deaths are sudden and unexpected, but people who have terminal illnesses and are able to prepare for the transition out of life are best served by supportive family and friends who are willing to accept the reality of what’s happening and help the dying person go through the process on the terms that will make them most comfortable.

Telpner tells about the poignant experiences she has had getting to know good, interesting people with loving and supportive families and how their deaths have been sweet and calm. She also tells about the people who personally fought death or had family who fought the reality of impending death and made it difficult for them to die peacefully. And then she shares some of the really strange or unsettling cases.

One Foot in Heaven is a quick and simple read but serves its purpose well. It’s a fine primer for all of us, to remember that death is inevitable, but how we approach it can make all the difference in how we and our loved ones live — and how we prepare to die.


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Author
Star Count 5/5
Format Trade
Page Count 160 pages
Publisher Heidi Barr
Publish Date 03-Oct-2013
ISBN 9781493670987
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue October 2014
Category Spirituality & Inspiration
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