Dying Well: JoAnne Chitwood on 40 Years of Hospice Nursing
When JoAnne Chitwood graduated from nursing school, she wasn't sure what she actually wanted to do—until a hospice volunteer at the bedside of her patients told her, “JoAnne, you are a hospice nurse.
JoAnne has spent the past four decades at the bedside of the dying. In this episode, she shares the perspective gained from a lifetime of end-of-life care: why death mirrors the birth process, how she manages terminal anxiety, and what she learned from an Alaska Indigenous tribe about ensuring no one dies alone.
Hear JoAnne talk about:
How JoAnne discovered she was "born" for this hospice work
Why the dying process is a mirror image of birth, as the body begins to "unwind" and nourish itself from within.
Why she doesn’t run from sadness
What she learned from an Alaskan indigenous tribe
How the end of life can act as a "finishing" moment, bringing siblings and families together for deep emotional healing.
Why forty years of witnessing "peaceful" transitions has completely removed her own fear of death.
Mentioned in this episode:
Please Help Me Die Well by JoAnne Chitwood
The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron
“Hospice has a level of intuition and sensitivity that I have not found in any other area of nursing or healthcare period. It’s fabulous.”
Episode 35 Notes
Coming soon.
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