SPEAKER. WRITER. HOSPICE NURSE.

   

MAGGIE CALLANAN, RN, CRNH

Maggie Callanan has been a hospice nurse since 1980. In that capacity she has studied, taught and written about the unique and symbolic communication of the dying, which is often labeled as "confused language" and consequently ignored by professional and family caregivers.

She is the author of the frank and informative Final Journeys: A Practical Guide for Bringing Care and Comfort at the End of Life (due Spring 2008). She is the co-author of the internationally acclaimed book Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness Needs and Communication of the Dying. She has spoken nationally and internationally on this subject and other issues relating to the care of the dying. She was the first coordinator and contributing author of the "Dealing with Death" column in the American Journal of Nursing.

She was a board member of the International Association of Near Death Studies(IANDS) and was formerly the facilitator of the IANDS National Capital Area Chapter support group for Near Death Experiencers.

In 1995, she was named the Hospice Clinician of the Year and received the National Hospice Organization's Heart of Hospice award.