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Title: Encountering the Edge: What People Told me Before They Died
Author: Karen B. Kaplan
Narrator: Cindy Pereira
Format: Unabridged
Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
Language: English
Release date: 07-13-15
Publisher: Pen-L Publishing
Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 5 votes
Genres: Religion & Spirituality, Religious Thought
Publisher's Summary:
Unencumbered by religious agendas and pat answers, Encountering the Edge satisfies our curiosity concerning what people believe in, shrug their shoulders at, laugh at, and most care about as they face Act 3, Scene 3, of their lives. Join Chaplain Kaplan as she visits her hospice patients, and share her sense of adventure and openness to the experience. The author also reveals the inner workings of a hospice agency from a chaplain's viewpoint both on the road and in the office.
Readers will encounter odd, poignant, revealing, and even amusing characters, such as a countercultural type who always greeted Kaplan with "Hey, doll!" and a World War Two veteran who beat the odds and left hospice to live well for over a year. Kaplan also illuminates what patients think will happen in the hereafter, as well as her own path and deeper motivations for entering this career. In the last chapter, Kaplan explores what it would be like to be a hospice patient herself, talking with a seasoned chaplain who gently lets her express her beliefs, regrets, sources of meaning, and hopes.
Encountering the Edge is a unique view of a topic that affects us all, and provides comfort combined with humor and insight that allows readers to feel safe in this unknown territory. Come explore the edge with Karen.
Dr. Carol Orsborn, Ph.D., editor-in-chief of www.FierceWithAge.com, and a baby boomer expert who regularly appears on Oprah, says of the book, "Kaplan brings a refreshing balance of rare insight and wry humor to what people near the end shared with her during her seven years at hospices."
Members Reviews:
A thoroughly enjoyable listen.
I read Encountering the Edge when it came out last year and I eagerly anticipated the audiobook. Its my first purchase from Audible. First, the readers voice is lovely. She captures the tone and emotions of the author beautifully.
Encountering the Edge is the memoir of seven years in the work of Karen Kaplan as a hospice chaplain. While the book would be an invaluable resource for someone considering the profession, I enjoyed it most for the stories. Kaplan relates deeply personal and unflinchingly honest episodes in Act 3 Scene 3 of the lives of some of her patients.
Theres Saul, who regretted for 72 years, never having had a bar mitzvah. Kaplan remedies that situation, which brings a celebration and joy to Saul and his family. And theres the poignant story of Nancy, a dementia patient who thought of her nursing home as a high school, the brightly lit nursing station the principals office, the dining hall the cafeteria, and that [Kaplan] and the other staff were the teachers. The other residents, of course, were her classmates.
Most aspirational to me is the story of 83-year-old Kathy, who who Kaplan counseled for a year after she lost her husband of only six years. When we were in the car, I was glad when we stopped at a red light, because that gave us an opportunity for another kiss. And, Every time we ate breakfast, it was like going out on a date. Im pleased to learn that this kind of love exists, and Kaplan experiences Kathys story as a reminder to cherish loved ones while we can.
Also aspirational is Kaplans deep compassion, which you can hear in every chapter. Often singing to or joking with patients or their families, (shes a delightful wit), shes always respectful, considerate, and striving to serve her patients.