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Hospice RN Guides Patients, Families through Life’s Final Chapter

When Annie O’Connor, RN, CHPN, meets a new hospice patient, she often shares a surprising fact: People with terminal illnesses often live longer with hospice care than those with similar illnesses who don’t elect hospice.

This insight speaks to the heart of hospice — helping individuals live as fully and comfortably as possible, even in the face of a life-limiting illness. More than 30 years ago, Annie began her career as a hospice nurse, guiding patients and families through life’s final chapter with compassion, dignity, and unwavering presence.

Now a hospice nurse with VNA Care, Annie brings deep experience to every home she enters.

“When someone chooses hospice, they have an entire team working for them to help them enjoy life,” said Annie.

That team includes nurses like Annie, nurse practitioners, physicians, social workers, spiritual counselors, bereavement counselors, trained volunteers, and hospice aides — all focused on comfort, peace, and personal wishes.

Annie’s days are filled with skilled care and deeply human moments. She works with VNA Care’s hospice physicians to ensure pain and complex symptoms are managed, helping patients feel better, reduce the burden of unnecessary medications, and improve quality of life. Patients and families are supported with education, counseling, medications and supplies, 24/7 clinical support, and much more.

During her time as a hospice nurse, Annie has seen extraordinary results. One patient, once stabilized and free of pain, fulfilled a dream and traveled with her family to Egypt. Another, who was constantly agitated because she hadn’t slept well in months, finally found rest after her insomnia was treated. The patient’s daughter later told Annie, “I’ll never forget the day my mother woke up and said, ‘I feel great.’”

Annie also recalled a man who lived alone and wanted only one thing: to die at home. Hospice ensured he had everything he needed — a hospital bed, supplies, and, most importantly, the presence of a loved one. The patient had given Annie permission to contact his sister, who came and cared for him alongside the hospice team. The man got his last wish.

Annie said, “Everything in hospice is a miracle.”

A certified hospice and palliative care nurse, Annie also trained as an end-of-life doula to gain another perspective in how to support patients and families emotionally and spiritually.

Throughout her career — from the height of the AIDS epidemic to the COVID-19 pandemic — Annie has walked beside people at their most vulnerable moments. And yet, she sees her work not as about dying, but about living well.

“You often need to give people permission to let go of all the rules and simply enjoy life,” she said.

Sometimes, it’s something as simple as a box of cannoli. One hospice patient confided that was all he wanted. While his loved one was hesitant to bring such unhealthy food into their home, Annie gently reminded her that joy matters. In the end, he got his cannoli — and a last moment of sweetness with his family.