Do You Write About Hospice, Health Care, or Nursing Homes?

I have been a hospice volunteer in Detroit nursing homes for several years. Working with people who are ill can be a great source of inspiration for writing. You may have discovered this if you work in the health care field or in a nursing home. As I became more involved with hospice volunteering, I found myself writing prose and poetry about my experiences. “Write what you know” is a common saying, and that’s what I did.

Eventually, I wrote a book titled "Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes." Stories, general information, and poems explore hospice care, urban nursing homes, caregiving, dementia, death preparations, and bereavement. Strategies for improving health care and nursing homes are examined. While universal concerns are covered, the often-ignored perspectives of people of color are included. Now, my book has several national endorsements.

As a writer, you probably know that stringing thoughts together into written words can be challenging, pleasurable, and even therapeutic. From places inside, words rise that affirm oneness with others, make sense of nonsense, and, hopefully, sweeten the world. Writing about hospice, health care, and nursing homes is one way of doing that. Perhaps you have had that experience, too.

Frances Shani Parker, Author
"Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes”
“Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog”