Ask a Death Doula

Navigating the Journey with Hospice Nurse Penny: Valuing End-of-Life Care

In this episode of the Good Death podcast series, we converse with Penny Smith, also known as Hospice Nurse Penny. A renowned hospice and palliative care nurse, Penny discusses her journey from a tumultuous past to becoming an RN and a social media influencer with over 2 million followers. She highlights the importance of hospice education, the misconceptions about hospice care, and the profound impact of bedside visitations. Penny shares her personal story, including her experience with death anxiety and her father's post-death visitation, aiming to normalize the end-of-life process and remove the stigma surrounding it. This conversation offers an inspiring look into the importance of discussing and understanding end-of-life care.

We dive in to:

00:00 Introduction to the Good Death Podcast

00:25 Meet Hospice Nurse Penny

03:17 Penny's Journey to Hospice Nursing

09:52 Discovering Social Media During the Pandemic

12:23 Writing the Book: A Journey of Reflection

14:44 A Life-Changing Encounter with Law Enforcement

18:57 Overcoming Personal Challenges

21:26 Misconceptions About Hospice and End-of-Life Care

22:27 Late Hospice Admissions and Misconceptions

23:22 The Role of Medications in Hospice Care

24:42 The Emotional and Sacred Aspects of Hospice Work

26:25 Personal Reflections and Life Lessons

27:50 Deathbed Visions and Spiritual Experiences

30:58 Personal Stories of Afterlife Encounters

36:24 The Impact of Spiritual Beliefs on Grief

37:06 Conclusion

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Doulagivers Institute


• The NEXT Free Level 1 End of Life Doula Training Registration LINK


• The NEXT Free Doulagivers Discovery Webinar


• Learn more about Hospice Nurse Penny and What She Do


• Order Penny's book Influencing Death: Reframing Dying for Better Living - A Memoir

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Knowing the basic skills on how to care for someone at the end of life and planning ahead - and BOTH Doulagivers Institute is giving you for FREE!

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• Making your wishes known is one of the greatest gifts you can give to your loved ones. Download The Doulagivers 9 Choice Advance Directive now! It's FREE!

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