Preview
  • The Final Act of Living

  • Reflections of a Longtime Hospice Nurse
  • By: Barbara Karnes RN
  • Narrated by: Barbara Karnes RN
  • Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (8 ratings)

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The Final Act of Living

By: Barbara Karnes RN
Narrated by: Barbara Karnes RN
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Publisher's summary

As featured in USA Today.

This full-length book with a newly updated preface is where Barbara Karnes RN shares her insights and experiences gathered over decades of working with people during their final act of living. For both professionals and laypeople, this book weaves personal stories with practical care guidelines, including: living with a life-threatening illness, signs of the dying process, the stages of grief, living wills, and other end of life issues.

The Final Act of Living: Reflections of a Long-Time Hospice Nurse is an end of life book; a resource that flows like a novel, yet has the content of a textbook.

Barbara wrote this book following years of being a hospice nurse at the bedside of hundreds of people in the months to moments before death. From the stories and experiences she shares, you will see that death doesn't just happen, there is an unfolding; there is a process to dying.

The Final Act of Living is used as:

*A resource on end of life for palliative care nurses

*A training handbook for hospice nurses and volunteers

*A reference book for anyone working with end of life issues:

*Lay ministers, social workers, counselors, nurses, chaplains

*An easy listen for anyone interested in dying and grief

*A textbook in college and university classes,

*CNA training, social work and LPN/RN classes

Listen today and embark on a transformative journey through personal stories and practical care guidelines. Whether you're a professional in the field or simply interested in end-of-life issues, this book is for you.

Don't miss out: this material may be described as an “end of life book”— however, as the title states, its content and philosophy is all about The Final Act of Living.

©2003 Barbara Karnes Books, Inc. (P)2023 Barbara Karnes Books, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Final Act of Living

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Honesty, Wisdom

Barbara brings not only her years of hospice experience to the table, but gives a wonderful and healthy guide to natural dying and death.

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A gem of a book

Barbara offers a humble yet profound and profoundly inspiring work born not as a writer’s research project or an article but from a lifetime of service to those at the end of living.

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Enjoy your life or it can slip through your fingers before you know it!

What a wonderful book very thoughtful. As a nurse just starting a career in hospice I found it very enlightening!

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Important lessons on dying

The author spoke with knowledge and compassion on the process of dying and how to help others when they are dying. She made me less fearful of death and impressed upon me how individual the process. I am grateful that the author chose to write this book.

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Heartfelt wisdom from an experienced nurse and caregiver 

As a hospice chaplain, I have learned a lot from Barbara, Karnes and watched her materials help many people. I admire her desire to communicate valuable information about living and dying, and I wish everyone had access to what she shares here. This book taught me more. Her perspective is refreshing and clarifying, Some authors should not try to narrate the audible version of books they write, but I thought she did it well.

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