David Kessler

Bio

David Kessler is one of the most well known experts and lecturers on grief and loss. He co authored two bestsellers with the legendary Elisabeth Kübler Ross: On Grief and Grieving and Life Lessons. David was honored to have been at Elisabeth’s bedside during her passing. His first book, The Needs of the Dying, a #1 best selling hospice book, received praise by Mother Teresa. His services have been used by Elizabeth Taylor, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Marianne Williamson when their loved ones faced life challenging illnesses. He also worked with late actors Anthony Perkins and Michael Landon. He is a featured Grief and Loss expert for Oprah.com. His work has been featured on CNN, NBC, PBS, and Entertainment Tonight; and he has been interviewed on Oprah & Friends. He has been discussed in the New York Times; and has written for the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Wall ! Street Journal,and Anderson Cooper 360.

David is a trained thanatologist. He received his master’s degree from Loyola Marymount University and RN degree from The University of the State of New York. He runs a highly regarded and unique end-of-life program at the fifth largest hospital system in Los Angeles. He is a specialist police reserve officer on the trauma team, and a member of the Red Cross disaster team. David considers himself a “reporter from the frontlines” as he has been at the bedside of hundreds while they’ve pass on.

www.grief.com


Specialties:

  • hospice & palliative care

Affiliation:

  • Citrus Valley Health Care Partners and Hospitals

Location:

Activity

  • Sharecare News
    Sharecare News posted a story about Hospice & Palliative Care:

    WEDNESDAY, March 27 (HealthDay News) -- Many people are still dying in hospitals, despite the fact that there has been a decrease in the number of patients who spend their final days in a setting that most would rather avoid, a new government report shows.

    While the number of people admit...Full Article

  • Sharecare News
    Sharecare News posted a story about Hospice & Palliative Care:

    THURSDAY, Dec. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Palliative care improved the quality of life for seniors in long-term care, according to a new study.

    Specifically, it led to a significant reduction in emergency room visits and depression among the elderly patients, said the researchers at Hebrew Se...Full Article

  • David Kessler
    David Kessler posted:
    Blog: Helping Kids Cope with the Tragedy in Connecticut http://blog.sharecare.com/2012/12/17/helping-kids-cope-with-the-tragedy-in-connecticut/
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    What does ICE mean?
    About ten years ago I was walking through the Queen of the Valley emergency room at Citrus Valley...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    What steps should be taken to communicate a loved one's end of life wishes?
    Talking about a loves ones beliefs, wishes and values is the best way if they can no longer speak...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    What is palliative care?
    Palliative Care, also called comfort care, is primarily directed at providing relief to a person in...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    What should I do if my loved one has a deathbed vision?
    While at the bedside of my patients, I often suggest to family members that there’s no point in telling their father that he’s hallucinating, or that Joseph is dead and can’t possibly be here in the room. For all we know, the veil that separates life and death is lifted in the last moments of life,...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    What is a deathbed vision?
    Deathbed visions are also known by other names, including near-death awareness, deathbed phenomena and death-related sensory experiences. They are different from near-death experiences, in which a person survives clinical death. While deathbed visions often involve a deceased messenger who appears days or moments...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    Why might do deathbed visions often involve a trip or voyage?
    In many people’s final hours, they regard their impending death as an actual physical voyage -- that is, they don’t really associate it with dying. I’ve never heard my patients say, “I have to pack my bags for my trip into death!” In their minds, the transition is still associated with life. Even though...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    Can a deathbed vision offer comfort?
    Today we often assume that the only thing available to comfort the dying is more technology or better symptom management. I believe that God and nature have already built in a means of comfort by providing us with visions, and who and what we see before we die is just as vital as the cutting-edge...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    What are some common deathbed visions?
    The visions people experience at the end of life are remarkably similar. For example, the dying are most often visited by a mother or mother figure. It shouldn’t be too surprising that the person who is actually present as we cross the threshold of life and take our first breath once again appears...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    Why might my loved one have a deathbed vision of a crowded room?
    If we can accept that one person might greet us at the end of life, then couldn’t more than one person be there? Let’s go back to the other end of the spectrum: when a child is born, the waiting room in the maternity ward is usually overflowing with family and friends ready to welcome the newborn....  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    How do I prepare to be with people who suffer and are afraid of dying?

    Allowing the dying to be heard is one of the greatest gifts that we can offer them. Medical professionals are taught that listening is a way of gathering information and assessing a patient’s physical and psychological condition. Even more, listening itself is a pow­erful way of giving comfort. Loved ones and

    ...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    How should we feel when we think we think about death?

    Most of us would say that death is a natural part of life until we come to our own death or the death of someone we love. We see death as an unnatural separation because we haven’t been raised to see death as a natural event.

    Our great-grandparents cared for the ill and dying, prepared and buried the dead, and

    ...  Full Post
  • David Kessler
    David Kessler answered:
    How long does grief last?

    “How long should my grief last?” you may ask of yourself. Others may even ask you “You’re not going to grieve forever, are you?” “Haven’t you grieved long enough?” “Isn’t it time to move on and get over your loss?” These questions are can be challenging and unwelcome after a loss. Grief is not just

    ...  Full Post