Since becoming a hospice nurse in 1981, Maggie Callanan has studied, taught, and written about death and dying, including the unique and symbolic communication of the dying, which is often labeled as “confused language” and consequently often ignored by professional and family caregivers. Addressing medical, personal, emotional, and spirtual aspects of life's final journeys, Maggie delivers practical, no-nonsense answers to difficult questions tempered by humor, wisdom, and compassion.
She is the co-author of the celebrated book Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness Needs and Communication of the Dying, which is now published in nine languages. She was the first coordinator and contributing author of the “Dealing with Death” column in the American Journal of Nursing.
Maggie is a world-renowned speaker on topics relating to the care of the dying, as well as coping strategies for hospice staff and volunteers. Hospices, hospitals, nursing and medical schools, church groups, community groups, and national conference audiences have greeted her enthusiastically.
She is the coordinator of the National Hospice, Palliative and Home Care Speakers Bureau, and has served as a board member of the International Association of Near Death Studies (IANDS) and 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 prestigious National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Heart of Hospice award.
Maggie divides her time between the New England coast, the DelMarVa peninsula, and the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
