57: What to Expect When Your Patient is Dying with Hospice Nurse Hadley

Nurses are trained to treat and save lives, but hospice nurses focus on a different set of skills. As host Sarah says in this episode as she speaks with Hadley Vlahos, RN, “fixing isn’t the only great thing we can do as nurses.”In this episode and her new book, The In-Between, Hadley shares what it’s like to care for patients that are dying and what she’s learned from their end of life wisdom. She offers insight into what to expect as a patient is passing, what type of vernacular to use with grieving families, and lots more.Hadley and Sarah also discuss hard-to-describe things like the energy shift that happens after a patient passes, and an often unexplainable final burst of energy many patients have when they are close to dying. Plus, Sarah shares her life-changing first experience with a dying hospice patient in the ER.Whether you plan to work in hospice or not, tune in to hear tips on how you can be a better nurse to dying patients and their families!Topics discussed in this episode:Misconceptions about hospice nursingWhat you can expect when a patient is dyingSigns that a patient is passingHow nurses can make patients more comfortable in their final daysThat final burst of energy before deathHadley’s most life-changing patientWhat you feel after a patient passesHow you can be compassionate towards patient’s loved onesTips for speaking to family members about death and dyingUsing the words “death” and “dying”Lessons Hadley has learned from her patientsTo purchase Hadley's Book "The In-Between":https://www.amazon.com/dp/059349993XFollow Nurse Hadley on Social Media:https://www.instagram.com/nurse.hadley/