Bonnie and Bonnie talk about death and dying through the lens of anxiety, and discuss how direct, clear language can help make the topic less frightening. They also share how avoiding words like “died” can increase fear, especially for children, and why early, honest conversations about death matter.

The two speak with Penny Smith, a recently retired hospice and palliative care nurse, author of *Influencing Death: Reframing Dying for Better Living*, and social media educator known as Hospice Nurse Penny.

Penny shares her personal history, including addiction, jail, and becoming a nurse at 40 and explains that learning about death and working in hospice helped reduce her own death anxiety and gave her a sense of service and purpose.

She describes what dying can look like in hospice, including transitioning, body changes, and deathbed visions. Penny explains that these experiences are often comforting, are not the same as hallucinations, and are part of what she considers normal at the end of life.

They discuss acceptance as a major part of reducing fear of death. Penny says that talking about death, seeing dying as a natural process, and educating families can reduce anxiety and help people focus more on living than on worrying about dying.

HIGHLIGHTS:

3:17 Meet Hospice Nurse Penny

6:04 From Addiction to Hospice

9:54 Talking Death With Kids

14:16 Normalizing the Dying Process

18:27 Deathbed Visions and Acceptance

21:52 Personal Encounters With Death

28:05 What Dying People See

33:29 Hallucinations or Visions?

36:44 The Nun’s Final Insight

40:09 TikTok and the Ripple Effect

connect with Hospice Nurse Penny

website: https://www.hospicenursepenny.com

Influencing Death: https://www.hospicenursepenny.com/book

mentioned in this episode

Book by Bonnie Zucker - Something Very Sad Happened: https://a.co/d/0dkKVH0V

CONNECT WITH THE BONNIE ZUCKERS:

Bonnie Zucker Ph.D.(west)

website: https://www.bonniezuckerphd.com

Newsletter sign-up: https://bonnie-zucker-ph-d.kit.com/d44b57fcdf

Books by Bonnie West: https://a.co/d/04aNJFDZ

Bonnie Zucker Psy.D. (east)

website: https://www.bonniezuckerandassociates.com

Books by Bonnie East: https://shorturl.at/MxvRZ

The content of Anxiety Matters Podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute mental health or medical advice, nor is it a substitute for professional mental health or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call emergency services or a local crisis line.