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.

When 911 Arrives and There Is No Plan: What Every Family of a Person Living With Dementia Needs to Know

When emergency responders arrive at your door, they have seconds to act—and they will follow the law, not your wishes, unless the right documents are in place. This article explains what a complete advance care plan looks like for people living with dementia, and why waiting until a diagnosis to plan is already too late.

Read MoreWhen 911 Arrives and There Is No Plan: What Every Family of a Person Living With Dementia Needs to Know

Is It Time to Stop Your Thyroid Medication? What Adults Over 60 Should Know

If you're 60 or older and taking levothyroxine, a 2026 JAMA study found about 1 in 4 people your age stopped the medication and maintained healthy thyroid function for a full year. Could you be one of them? Here's what the research says and how to start the conversation with your doctor.

Read MoreIs It Time to Stop Your Thyroid Medication? What Adults Over 60 Should Know

Laboring Out of Life: How Death Doulas Restore Dignity to the Dying

At 83, Margaret died in an ICU with monitors beeping and strangers rushing past. She had asked for candles, her pastor, and her daughter's hand. Death doulas help make that kind of dying possible. More families need to know they exist.

Read MoreLaboring Out of Life: How Death Doulas Restore Dignity to the Dying

Choosing the Right Tool: How the Beers Criteria, STOPPFrail, and STOPP/START Guide Safer Medication Decisions in Hospice

Medication decisions in hospice are some of the most ethically weighty choices a care team makes. This article compares the Beers Criteria, STOPPFrail, and STOPP/START criteria so hospice professionals can choose the right tool, deprescribe safely, and always honor the patient's voice and their family's authority.

Read MoreChoosing the Right Tool: How the Beers Criteria, STOPPFrail, and STOPP/START Guide Safer Medication Decisions in Hospice

Breathe In, Let Go: How Box Breathing Helps Caregivers Reclaim Calm

Caring for a loved one with a chronic or terminal illness is one of the hardest things a person can do. Your body and mind carry more than most people realize. Box breathing — a simple four-count breathing technique — can help you reset, reduce stress, and stay grounded, even on the hardest days.

Read MoreBreathe In, Let Go: How Box Breathing Helps Caregivers Reclaim Calm

When Eating Stops: Understanding Appetite and Thirst Loss at the End of Life

When a loved one stops eating or drinking, fear sets in fast. But the loss of appetite and thirst near the end of life is natural — the body's way of preparing. This article explains the science, the signs, and how to offer comfort without forcing food or fluids, with trusted resources to guide you.

Read MoreWhen Eating Stops: Understanding Appetite and Thirst Loss at the End of Life

Understanding and Managing Edema: A Practical Guide for Caregivers and Family Members

Edema is swelling caused by underlying medical conditions that require professional treatment. This comprehensive guide helps family caregivers, third-party support staff, and end-of-life doulas understand edema as a symptom, providing practical, non-medical comfort measures to support their loved ones while emphasizing the importance of medical consultation for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Read MoreUnderstanding and Managing Edema: A Practical Guide for Caregivers and Family Members

Seeing the Whole Person: Trauma-Informed Care in Palliative and Hospice Settings

Trauma doesn't stop at a diagnosis. In palliative and hospice care, unresolved trauma shapes how patients and families experience illness, loss, and death. This article explores SAMHSA's framework, the Iceberg Model, and real-world scenarios that show what trauma-informed care looks like — and why it changes everything.

Read MoreSeeing the Whole Person: Trauma-Informed Care in Palliative and Hospice Settings

When Algorithms Meet Last Wishes: Why AI Cannot Replace the Human Heart of Advance Care Planning

Most Americans don't have a living will. Many are now turning to AI to fill the gap — fast and cheap. But AI can't explore your values, and it can be wrong. This article explains why advance care planning matters, what AI gets wrong, and how to take one important step toward protecting yourself and your family.

Read MoreWhen Algorithms Meet Last Wishes: Why AI Cannot Replace the Human Heart of Advance Care Planning

Nobody Plans to Die in the ICU Yet Without Advance Planning…

Most Americans say they'd rather die at home. Not in an ICU, connected to machines, with strangers making decisions. A new study found that more people are leaving the ICU for hospice, and that is a shift worth paying attention to. Do you have a plan that actually says what you want?

Read MoreNobody Plans to Die in the ICU Yet Without Advance Planning…

When the Hospice Nurse Leaves: Who Guides Your Family Through the Vigil?

Most people don't know that hospice, covered by Medicare, does not include vigil support. That gap falls on families who feel lost and afraid. Death doulas are trained to fill it. They help create a vigil plan before the crisis, turning life's hardest moment into something peaceful and intentional.

Read MoreWhen the Hospice Nurse Leaves: Who Guides Your Family Through the Vigil?

When Medicare Advantage Falls Short: Understanding Hospice Coverage Gaps

Over 31 million Americans now have Medicare Advantage, but most don't know a crucial fact: MA plans don't cover hospice care. When you elect hospice, you must switch to traditional Medicare. This gap affects care access and patient choice. Understanding this difference now helps you make informed decisions later.

Read MoreWhen Medicare Advantage Falls Short: Understanding Hospice Coverage Gaps

How Thanatology and End-of-Life Doulas Are Transforming Hospice Care

Thanatology, the study of death and dying, is revolutionizing hospice care delivery. From advance care planning to music therapy and trauma-informed bereavement support, thanatologists and end-of-life doulas are filling critical gaps in care. Learn how these compassionate professionals help patients and families navigate life's final chapter with dignity and peace.

Read MoreHow Thanatology and End-of-Life Doulas Are Transforming Hospice Care

They Keep Falling: What Every Family Needs to Investigate

When someone you love keeps falling, the cause is rarely obvious and almost never "just age." It could be an infection, a medication, a vision problem, or an early sign that the brain is changing. This article walks you through what dementia really is, what to rule out, and exactly how to advocate for answers.

Read MoreThey Keep Falling: What Every Family Needs to Investigate

Too Many Pills: What America’s Polypharmacy Crisis in Means for You and Everyone You Love

America is overmedicated. Over 42% of older adults take five or more prescriptions daily, and most never hear the real risks. This article breaks down polypharmacy, medication stacking, and the insurance-driven system shaping your care, with practical steps you can take starting today.

Read MoreToo Many Pills: What America’s Polypharmacy Crisis in Means for You and Everyone You Love

When Convenience Becomes Complication: What Families Need to Know About the PureWick™ System in Hospice Care

The PureWick™ System appears to simplify urinary incontinence care for hospice patients, but experienced nurses warn of serious complications. From infections to severe skin breakdown, continuous use creates risks that families rarely anticipate. Learn what hospice providers wish every family knew before using this device.

Read MoreWhen Convenience Becomes Complication: What Families Need to Know About the PureWick™ System in Hospice Care

The Death We Deserve: Planning for Dignity, Comfort, and Peace

Every person will die. That's not a tragedy. That's biology. What IS a tragedy is dying without a plan, without comfort, and without the conversations that could have changed everything. Learn how palliative care, early hospice, and advance care planning can help you and the people you love die with dignity.

Read MoreThe Death We Deserve: Planning for Dignity, Comfort, and Peace

Understanding Grief: A Compassionate Guide to Healing After Loss

Grief is a natural response to loss that affects everyone differently. This guide explores the grief process, the differences between sudden loss and expected death, and why losing a child carries unique pain. Learn practical coping strategies including the 3 S's framework, understand the difference between grief coaches and counselors, and discover why asking for help shows strength, not weakness.

Read MoreUnderstanding Grief: A Compassionate Guide to Healing After Loss

Before the Crisis: How Hospice Providers Can Partner With Hospitals to Find Patients Earlier

Most hospice patients arrive in crisis, dying within days of enrollment. But there's a better way. By partnering with hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and medical records teams, hospice providers can identify eligible patients before the next emergency, giving families time for meaningful care and better outcomes.

Read MoreBefore the Crisis: How Hospice Providers Can Partner With Hospitals to Find Patients Earlier

Your Voice, Your Values: Why Every Kentucky Adult Needs More Than a Checkbox

Kentucky's standard living will covers only four checkboxes. It doesn't ask what quality of life means to you, who truly knows your wishes, or how you feel about CPR or dementia care. Every Kentucky adult, at any age, deserves a values-based advance care plan that gives your voice back when you can't speak.

Read MoreYour Voice, Your Values: Why Every Kentucky Adult Needs More Than a Checkbox

Every Clinician’s Job: Why Palliative Care Belongs in Every Room

A patient in pain doesn't stop hurting because they're in the wrong department. This article makes the case that palliative care principles belong in every specialty, shows why the conversation at the bedside is everyone's responsibility, and gives clinicians real tools to begin.

Read MoreEvery Clinician’s Job: Why Palliative Care Belongs in Every Room

When Caring Costs Everything: The Hidden Financial Toll of Caregiver Stress

Family caregivers across America face an invisible crisis. Chronic stress from caring for loved ones creates a vicious financial cycle—missed work, mounting medical bills, strained relationships, and declining health. With $14.1 trillion in annual costs nationwide, it's time to recognize this burden and connect families with help.

Read MoreWhen Caring Costs Everything: The Hidden Financial Toll of Caregiver Stress

When Grief Refuses to Read the Manual: Finding Your Own Path Through Loss

Grief looks different for everyone, yet many expect it to follow predictable stages. A death doula shares powerful stories of people whose mourning defied expectations—no tears, unexpected calm, delayed responses. Discover why your grief journey is uniquely yours and where to find compassionate support along the way.

Read MoreWhen Grief Refuses to Read the Manual: Finding Your Own Path Through Loss