Last Acts of Kindness: Lessons for the Living from the Bedsides of the Dying

WINNER 2011 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NURSING When Plato was asked to sum up his life's work, he simply stated, "Practice dying." Last Acts of Kindness allows a glimpse into this practice through the stories of those who have lived and died among us. In these chronicles of a midwife to the dying, Judith Redwing Keyssar speaks eloquently and from her heart about her extensive experience in the field of palliative care-providing nursing expertise along with emotional and spiritual guidance and support. Her stories describe people she has eased in their dying processes in hospitals, residential facilities and in their homes. Keyssar offers us lessons to help navigate this complicated and inevitable journey. She encourages us to examine our personal relationships to impermanence and to consider the changes needed in our healthcare system to better serve us all at the end of life.