Ep. 412 Dealing with Anger at the End of Life with Barbara Karnes RN

Learn some skills and tools for managing anger when it arises at end of life for patients, families and even co-workers.

I’m welcoming back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes, hospice nurse and internationally recognized author, speaker, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. Today we discuss the issue of anger, which often arises when people are facing the end of life, whether their own or that of a loved one. Barbara shares some strategies for dealing with anger and helping patients and their loved ones find peace in the last days of life. Learn more about Barbara’s books and her work at her website:

www.bkbooks.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

• The prevalence of anger for patients at the end of life
• How to help patients verbalize their anger without judging or reacting to it
• Why families may need to project their anger onto the hospice staff
• How to talk about anger with family members and help them create a sacred experience for their loved one
• The importance of being heard and understood when we are emotional
• Why we need to leave behind our own agenda as care providers in order to truly listen to patients and family members
• Caregivers may feel shame over the anger they feel and have difficulty talking about it
• How to manage anger between staff members in hospice
• Why hospice work is a great opportunity to learn more about ourselves and grow

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Blog: How Virtual Reality Transformed My Ordinary Reality
• Sign up for aNUma’s Clear Light Program here: https://anuma.com/trial
• Previous episode with Gregory Roufa and Lama Karma from aNUma: Episode389
• Get EOLU Podcast Merch here
• Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here
• Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
• Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
• Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
• Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
• Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
• Buy me a coffee
• Donate on Paypal

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to Mark Langlois and Alison Greene for buying me coffees! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.