Comfort & Coping - Dr. Linda Keilman

“It was about celebrating their life,” said Associate Professor Dr. Linda Keilman, MSN ’89.

Growing up in Omaha, Neb. and Dearborn Mich., with older generations of family living in the area, attending funerals was a common occurrence — a celebration of lives well-lived.

A healthy relationship with death, along with help caring for her grandpa and aunt while she was in high school is what drew Keilman to gerontology. Since 1992, she has been educating Spartan Nurses while practicing in the community.

Most recently, she has partnered with MSU Neuro-Ophthalmology where she assesses, evaluates and develops plans of care for individuals experiencing memory loss or a dementia. She also educates patients and their care partners about their diagnoses, available community resources and advanced care planning.

“Do you have an advance directive?” is one of the questions Keilman asks her patients. According to Keilman, many of her patients do not have their personal or legal affairs in order as they approach the end of their lives, which she attributes to society’s avoidance of the topic of death.

“Advance care planning should start at 18 in my opinion,” she continued, “Questions like, ‘Would you want to live on a ventilator the rest of your life?’ aren’t happening and many patients and providers don’t want to have difficult conversations,” she said.

Dr. April Yuki, assistant professor of neurology at Michigan State University, practiced at the Clinical Center alongside Keilman treating patients with Parkinson’s disease and Dementia.

“Given her [Dr. Keilman] expertise, I had patients work with her to focus on day-today activities and examining ways to minimize medication,” Yuki said. “Dr. Keilman provides the family with insight and resources in the community, which is something we don’t learn in medical school.”

According to Yuki, having Keilman on staff has allowed for ample time to be spent with each patient.

“She allows us to be a comprehensive neurodegenerative clinic," Yuki said. "Bringing in other features like social situation, family background and other components helps bring a whole picture of the patient.”

Having practiced in both palliative and hospice care settings throughout her career, Keilman is passionate about maintaining patient dignity throughout their end-of-life care. Honoring them, providing choices, and letting them know they are important and valued are just a few hallmarks of the care she provides.

With a footprint in the Lansing area that dates back almost 40 years, Keilman is well-versed in the community resources that are available to patients, mostly related to physical, mental and spiritual wellness and financial education.

As for the spiritual touch, Keilman encourages patients to put up bird feeders, focus on natural surroundings and occasionally work on puzzles. Keeping the brain active and healthy as possible helps individuals to have a quality of life every day — until the last day.

Communing with nature is something that brings people joy and peace, she noted.

“Forgiveness is key, hardships in families make death difficult,” she said.

Time and time again, she has seen the effects of holding onto negativity while in the end-of-life period, noting that forgiveness brings peace to the patient and loved ones.

“Hearing is the last sense to leave, so I always tell family members to share their thoughts, memories and tell the person who they are,” she said.

Keilman has been witness to the unexplainable during end-of-life moments, recounting numerous experiences in her 40 years of experience.

“I’ve seen auras around people who are dying, I’ve seen people talking to God and feeling like he was present in the room holding out a hand,” she recalled. “It’s a privilege and blessing to be around them.”