A Palliative Care Book of the Month: IAHPC (International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care)

From a medical insider comes a plea to renew medicine’s mandate to relieve suffering. The philosophy and practice of palliative care shows how this is possible by easing pain, by embracing the human side of illness, by inviting patients to be full participants in their care, and by incorporating the wisdom of these injured storytellers to guide healing hands. Informed by the voices of the seriously ill, their families, and the lifelong experience of a palliative care nurse and medical social worker, Stay, Breathe with Me, illuminates the power of the art of care and the need to bring heart and compassion back into health care. Written for both medical professionals and general readers alike.

Scottish highlander by birth, Canadian by home, Helen Allison was born with healing hands and a caregiving heart. During her long career as a palliative nurse and medical social worker, she pursued a person-centered approach to champion the ill and their families. She is senior author of Social Work Services as a Component of Palliative Care with Terminal Cancer Patients (Haworth Press). She now shares her life’s learning that to ease suffering, the art of care must embody patient wisdom.

Helen Allison's profile page

Former technical author and teacher, Irene Allison is a graduate of Humber College’s Creative Writing Program and Simon Fraser University’s Writing and Publishing Program. She is honored to join a growing movement that invites heart into health care and compassion into people’s lives.

Irene Allison's profile page

An IAHPC Palliative Care Book of the Month: “A remarkable book. On just about every page are little pearls of sound clinical wisdom and truths about the ways we might do better. Anybody who works in palliative care will enjoy and benefit from reading this book. ”

—Dr. Roger Woodruff, International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care

"A wonderful book [for] palliative care workers, doctors, patients, families, anyone interested in learning how to treat a human being nearing the end of life. While some language describing trigger points of pain or the care required, may not be understood by everyone, stick with it as the book will fill you with admiration for [these] hard-working caregivers and a better understanding of palliative care. It may also give you hope that when our time comes, we will be taken care of just as well as the people who have shared their stories here."

—San Francisco Book Review

“Recounts scenarios that exemplify both best and worst practices, making a strong case for palliative care through clear and descriptive language. Medical professionals can use Allison’s experience to enhance their understanding of palliative care, while caregivers will be encouraged to provide a noble service.”

—Library Journal

“Unlike much of medical literature, even in the area of death and dying, this volume by Helen Allison and Irene Allison is written from the heart and speaks to the heart. Therein lies its transformative power. As a former palliative care physician and future dying human, I am profoundly grateful.”

—Gabor Maté M.D., best-selling author of When The Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress

“I hope this deeply compassionate, wise and enchanting book will be widely read by those who work in ‘mainstream’ medicine, and not just palliative care. We forget that suffering is often the cause and not just the result of illness. Palliative care, with its focus on the alleviation of suffering and the healing power of compassion, has so much to teach modern medicine.”

—Robin Youngson, MD, co-founder of Hearts in Healthcare, author of Time to Care: How to Love your Patients and your Job

“It is a privilege to recommend this book to doctors, nurses, social workers, and others. A wonderful read.”

—Lawrence P. Levitt, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, and coauthor of Uncommon Wisdom: True Tales of What Our Lives as Doctors Have Taught Us About Love, Faith, and Healing

“Beautifully and tenderly written, the gentle weaving of these stories reminds us to mix equal parts of technology, love, and compassion throughout our lives to the end.“

—Carol McVeigh, RN, Palliative Care Nurse, Canada (1943–2015)

“A passionate, heartfelt plea for medicine to return to the practice of compassion and empathy, and an antidote to the over-medicalization of medicine, particularly in end-of life care. An important contribution to the growing discussion on how we die today.”

—Phil Dwyer, author, Conversations On Dying

“Compelling reading for families of persons with life-threatening illnesses and their healthcare professionals that permits us to envision living with dying in a humane, compassionate manner.”

—Mary Valentich, PhD, Professor Emerita, Faculty of Social Work, University of Calgary, Canada

“Helen Allison, a compassionate, caring nurse with a special insight into the feelings of patients in pain and a nurse who must have been loved and respected by patients and peers. This book is a must read for all health care professionals.”

—Rhoda Anderson, President, Lakes District Unit, Canadian Cancer Society, Hospice Volunteer, Canada

“Takes us to the places where we feel uncomfortable and fear to go, but where we need to go in order to provide true, holistic palliative care.”

—Millie Cumming-Chalmers, MD, Palliative Care Physician, Canada

“Stories filled with compassion, empathy, and wisdom—heartwarming and instructive.”

—Sandra Martin, The Long Goodbye columnist, The Globe and Mail, author of A Good Death: Making the Most of our Final Choices