It’s an extraordinary job to accompany people at the end of their life. Highly respected California Hospice Nurse Helen Greenspan shares astonishing real-life insights into the dying process and on what she feels people need at that time, on Voice America’s radio show “Chaos to Calm”, Health and Wellness Channel, Monday January 20 at 4 p.m. PST.
Phoenix, AZ -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/17/2017 -- Most people know little about the dying process and feel lost in it, but they can prepare for it, says Hospice Nurse Helen Greenspan.
In Western culture, people work hard to prepare for birth, but do little to prepare for the end of life. "Dying is not like it is in movies" says Greenspan who specializes in end-of-life care. She believes that if people knew more about it, they might not feel so completely overwhelmed when it's their time to face it.
Greenspan will share what she has learned in 25 years of accompanying people and their family at the end of life, on the Voice America's radio show "Chaos to Calm", Health and Wellness Channel, Monday February 20 at 4 p.m. PST.
"There is more to dying than the heart stopping", says Greenspan, adding that it is a process filled with opportunities for growth and intimacy, both in the person who is dying and the people who are with that person. Part of her job is to give nursing care and read the patients' heavy medical files, but unlike the medical profession who has given her patients a death sentence with a time frame, she sees them as living until they die: "Who are you? What is important to you? Tell me what makes you come alive", she asks them.
Each patient has been a teacher for Greenspan. They have allowed her into their life at a time when they were most vulnerable and real. The moments they share are so authentic that it keeps her awake in her own life, she says. But sometimes, she says, she would like to walk away and have nothing to do with it, because it is so intense. She also sees a lot of suffering and says she finds that scary: "Dying is not easy for most people."
The weekly show Chaos to Calm presents ordinary people with real stories. Some had a close look at death, others had serious injuries or had to repair relationships. They talk about their challenges and on how they were able to move forward through these sometimes very scary, but not uncommon life situations.
Archives of "Chaos to Calm" can be found at https://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2624/chaos-to-calm