Author: Peter Abraham, BSN, RN

I'm Peter Abraham, BSN, RN, EOLD, a registered nurse, patient advocate, and end-of-life doula. I've written more than 60 evidence-based guides on hospice, palliative care, and end-of-life navigation. My clinical background includes cardiology, medical-surgical units, and long-term care across Pennsylvania, with most of my nursing career spent on rural hospice case management.

Over the years, I kept seeing the same thing: hospice workers, nurses, grief professionals, and caregivers doing demanding work without the practical, clinically sound resources they deserve. That observation is what drives my writing. My book series, including Empowering Excellence in Hospice, Bridges to Eternity, Holistic Nurse: Skills for Excellence, Caregiver Support Series, and the Living Stones Series, provides end-of-life professionals and family caregivers with tools grounded in real clinical experience rather than theory.

If you're a hospice nurse, you know the feeling of finishing a visit and wondering whether your documentation would pass a Medicare audit, whether you explained eligibility convincingly enough, or whether you handled a hard family conversation the right way. That uncertainty is the gap nobody warned you about. I've managed caseloads in full compliance with Medicare, helped multiple hospice agencies save thousands of dollars per patient through careful medication management, and served as a keynote speaker at the 2026 South Carolina HAPC Virtual Didactics Conference. I built my Hospice Nurse Coaching program for exactly this problem: a focused, one-hour session built around your specific situation.

Today, I also work as a Health Navigation Specialist and an independent patient advocate through Compassion Crossing, LLC, supporting patients and families in Madison County, Kentucky, and nationwide by telehealth. I listen first. I guide gently. I honor what matters most. That approach, rooted in my faith, drives one clear goal: giving every person at the bedside, professional or family, the confidence to show up well. I live in Berea, Kentucky, with my wife, Laura, and our two rescue dogs.

How Peter Helps Through Compassion Crossing

Peter founded Compassion Crossing to provide personalized support that transforms fear into peace. His services include:

  • Advance Care Planning involves guiding individuals through value-based advance directives to create a care plan that promotes comfort and quality of life when they cannot speak for themselves.
  • Dementia Care Coaching helps caregivers and family members adapt, cope, and care for loved ones with dementia.
  • Grief Support helps individuals integrate loss and grief, build resilience, and incorporate losses to strengthen their life journey, rather than just “move on and forget.”
  • Hospice Nurse Coaching offers one-on-one clinical support to hospice nurses with documentation, eligibility, and end-of-life conversations.
  • Illness Navigation guides people through new or ongoing chronic and terminal illnesses.
  • Medication Reconciliation reduces medication errors, side effects, and polypharmacy, thereby improving health by minimizing harm.
  • Patient Advocacy ensures your voice is heard and honored throughout every step of your care journey.
  • Staff Training & Development equips healthcare teams with the skills to provide compassionate, effective care by customizing training materials to meet their needs.
  • Structured Courses offer self-paced online training for caregivers and healthcare professionals to coordinate complex care with confidence.
  • Wellness Checks provide in-person visits in Madison County, KY, and nearby areas to give peace of mind to individuals, couples, and families.

Peter's Mission

Peter's goal is simple: create a supportive environment where no one faces life's most challenging moments alone. He writes helpful articles, books, and guides to help caregivers, families, and healthcare professionals feel prepared and confident.

He also shares his knowledge through his YouTube channel, Nurse Peter, where he discusses death, dying, and compassionate care with hospice nurses, holistic nurses, caregivers, and end-of-life professionals.

Life Beyond Work

When Peter isn't working or writing, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Laura, and their two rescue dogs in the beautiful countryside of central Kentucky.

Ready to Talk?

Schedule a free conversation with Peter to see how we can support you, someone you care about, or your organization.

You don't have to face life's difficult transitions alone. We're here to help.

The Rapid Rise of Death Doulas and What End-of-Life Doula Schools Rarely Tell Prospective Students

Thousands of people are paying thousands of dollars to become death doulas, drawn in by a growing movement and schools that promise a meaningful career. What many students don't hear until after they've paid: there are almost no jobs, most families can't afford to hire you, and the work itself is legally non-medical.

Read MoreThe Rapid Rise of Death Doulas and What End-of-Life Doula Schools Rarely Tell Prospective Students

When Everyone Knows Best: How Mixed Messages Break Down Family Caregiving

When two or more family members try to care for a chronically or terminally ill loved one, mixed messages can destroy trust, delay decisions, and drain everyone. This article names the top challenges and offers practical solutions to help your family form a unified front.

Read MoreWhen Everyone Knows Best: How Mixed Messages Break Down Family Caregiving

What Happens When You Can’t Speak for Yourself: The Advance Care Plan Every Adult Needs

Most people think advance care planning is for the elderly or the seriously ill. It is not. Accidents, strokes, and unexpected health crises can strike at any age. An advance care plan puts your wishes in writing before a crisis takes away your ability to speak for yourself. Here is what you need to know.

Read MoreWhat Happens When You Can’t Speak for Yourself: The Advance Care Plan Every Adult Needs

When the Circle Breaks: Understanding Hospice Live Discharge for Families of Adults with Dementia

A hospice live discharge is not a graduation. For families caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease or another dementia, it can feel like the floor dropping out from under them. This article explains why live discharges happen more often with dementia, what it costs families, and what can be done differently.

Read MoreWhen the Circle Breaks: Understanding Hospice Live Discharge for Families of Adults with Dementia

Hospice Care Is Growing Fast. Are Nurses and Families Ready for It?

Hospice care is reaching more families than ever, but the systems meant to support that growth have not kept pace. Nurses lack the training to document eligibility correctly. Family caregivers report financial strain, physical exhaustion, and feeling abandoned. Here is what agencies and families can do about it.

Read MoreHospice Care Is Growing Fast. Are Nurses and Families Ready for It?

What Dementia Costs Your Family: The Risks You Control and the Plan You Need Now

Dementia cases have surged since 2020, and families are carrying more of the burden every year. This article walks through the modifiable risk factors you can act on today, why checkbox advance directives leave families exposed, and three real stories showing what happens when planning waits too long. It closes with a clear next step for anyone ready to protect their loved ones.

Read MoreWhat Dementia Costs Your Family: The Risks You Control and the Plan You Need Now

The Death Doula Income Myth: What Schools Aren’t Telling Their Students

Many death doula training programs sell students on the promise of meaningful, paid work. But once they graduate, most find that families can't afford them, don't know how to vet them, and often need medical help a doula legally cannot provide. This article looks at the economic gap no one wants to name.

Read MoreThe Death Doula Income Myth: What Schools Aren’t Telling Their Students

When Culture Shapes the Journey: What Every Palliative and Hospice Care Provider Needs to Know

Cultural beliefs shape how patients and families experience death, make decisions, and accept or refuse care. For palliative and hospice workers, understanding those beliefs is the foundation of good care. This article breaks down the top four challenges and gives you real, usable solutions to apply now.

Read MoreWhen Culture Shapes the Journey: What Every Palliative and Hospice Care Provider Needs to Know

Planning a Good Death Is an Act of Love, Just Like Planning a Good Birth

A good birth takes planning. A good death does too. Yet only 1 in 3 U.S. adults, and just 1 in 10 Kentuckians, have an advance care plan. Learn why checkbox forms fall short, why value-based directives matter, and why waiting for hospital discharge is too late to plan a death that reflects your values.

Read MorePlanning a Good Death Is an Act of Love, Just Like Planning a Good Birth

Your Medication List Is Not a Formality: What Real Medication Review Looks Like

A listed side effect that has not shown up yet is not proof you are safe. Many common medications, including some over-the-counter drugs, carry a real risk of cognitive decline. Learn what a genuine medication review involves, why the system misses so much, and three ways you can protect yourself.

Read MoreYour Medication List Is Not a Formality: What Real Medication Review Looks Like

Your Numbers Are Not Your Story: What Really Matters in Heart and Lung Disease

When heart failure or lung disease enters your life, numbers like BNP, ejection fraction, and FEV1 can feel like a report card. But real health goes beyond lab results. Discover why your symptoms, daily choices, and early palliative care matter far more than chasing a better number.

Read MoreYour Numbers Are Not Your Story: What Really Matters in Heart and Lung Disease

Left Holding the Weight: The Quiet Crisis of Hospice Family Caregivers

When a loved one enters hospice, families step up — often giving up jobs, savings, and their own health to provide around-the-clock care. With no pay, limited leave, and mounting bills, the caregiving crisis has reached a breaking point. Here's what's happening and what can be done about it.

Read MoreLeft Holding the Weight: The Quiet Crisis of Hospice Family Caregivers

Show Up Unannounced: A Family Guide to Choosing the Right Care Facility

Choosing a care facility is one of the hardest decisions a family faces. Scheduled tours show what facilities want you to see. Spontaneous visits reveal the truth. This guide shows you how to visit unannounced, what to look for, and how to use a printable checklist to compare facilities and protect your loved one.

Read MoreShow Up Unannounced: A Family Guide to Choosing the Right Care Facility

When the Fear of Suffering Feels Louder Than the Disease Itself: What People With Motor Neuron Disease Need to Know

When someone is diagnosed with motor neuron disease, fear and suffering can feel inevitable. But research shows that most people who consider hastened death are responding to uncontrolled symptoms, isolation, and lack of support — not the disease itself. Early palliative care and the right tools can change everything.

Read MoreWhen the Fear of Suffering Feels Louder Than the Disease Itself: What People With Motor Neuron Disease Need to Know

Better Together: How Death Doulas, Hospice Providers, and Nursing Home Staff Can Transform End-of-Life Care

Most nursing home residents who qualify for hospice never get referred in time. Death doulas, hospice providers, and nursing home staff each hold a piece of the puzzle. When they work together, patients get better care, families feel supported, and the conversation about death becomes one that nobody has to face alone.

Read MoreBetter Together: How Death Doulas, Hospice Providers, and Nursing Home Staff Can Transform End-of-Life Care

No Address Required: Palliative and Hospice Care for People Experiencing Homelessness

Every night in America, hundreds of thousands of people without a home are quietly battling serious illness. Many are dying. Yet palliative and hospice care remain out of reach for most. This article names the barriers, examines what care agencies can do, and shows you how to take action.

Read MoreNo Address Required: Palliative and Hospice Care for People Experiencing Homelessness

Understanding Pruritus: A Caregiver’s Guide to Recognition, Prevention, and Relief

Pruritus, or persistent itching, can significantly impact your loved one's comfort and quality of life. This guide helps caregivers, nursing aides, and family members recognize pruritus through visual observation and reported symptoms, understand prevention strategies, and explore both nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatment options to provide compassionate, effective care.

Read MoreUnderstanding Pruritus: A Caregiver’s Guide to Recognition, Prevention, and Relief

Dying to Help: What No One Tells You About Becoming or Hiring a Death Doula

For centuries, dying happened at home, surrounded by family. Today, death doulas are reclaiming that space. But a booming, unregulated industry with no insurance and no governing body creates real risks for practitioners and families. Here's what both groups need to know.

Read MoreDying to Help: What No One Tells You About Becoming or Hiring a Death Doula

The Quiet Danger in Your Medicine Cabinet: What Every Patient Deserves to Know About Anticholinergic Medications

Not every prescribed pill is the right one. Anticholinergic drugs appear in common medications for allergies, bladder problems, and depression. Over time, the buildup can cloud thinking, raise fall risk, and may lead to dementia. Learn why a medication review could protect you.

Read MoreThe Quiet Danger in Your Medicine Cabinet: What Every Patient Deserves to Know About Anticholinergic Medications

Who Decides? Understanding Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Advance Care Planning for Dementia

When a loved one is diagnosed with dementia, legal decisions can't wait. This guide breaks down guardianship and conservatorship in plain terms, explains how power of attorney fits in, and shows why advance care planning—done early—changes everything. Learn how to protect your loved one before a crisis forces the decision.

Read MoreWho Decides? Understanding Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Advance Care Planning for Dementia

When Less Is More: Rethinking Medications for Life-Limiting Illness

Your loved one may be taking medications that no longer help — and some that actively cause harm. A 2026 systematic review confirms deprescribing is safe. Here's what families, caregivers, and patients need to know — and the questions worth asking out loud.

Read MoreWhen Less Is More: Rethinking Medications for Life-Limiting Illness

When One Country Leads the World in Assisted Deaths: What That Number Is Really Telling All of Us

Canada now records more assisted deaths each year than every other nation on Earth combined. That number opens a much harder conversation about falsified death records, what "terminal" actually means, and why better options exist than most patients ever hear about.

Read MoreWhen One Country Leads the World in Assisted Deaths: What That Number Is Really Telling All of Us

Karen Quinlan’s Legacy and the Advance Directives Most Adults Still Haven’t Completed

Karen Quinlan's 1976 court case handed patients the legal right to refuse unwanted medical treatment. Fifty years later, most adults still haven't acted on that right. This article explains what a complete advance care plan includes, why dementia changes everything, and how to protect yourself and the people you love.

Read MoreKaren Quinlan’s Legacy and the Advance Directives Most Adults Still Haven’t Completed