Intensive Caring: A Practical Handbook for Catholics about Serious Illness and End-of-Life Care

by Natalie King MD

Overview

Winner of a 2025 Excellence in Publishing Award from the Association of Catholic Publishers: General Interest (Second Place).

Winner of three 2025 CMA Book Awards from the Catholic Media Association: Grief and Bereavement (Second Place), Life and Dignity of the Human Person (Third Place), and First-Time Author of Theological Subject Matters (Honorable Mention). 

When a serious illness or a health crisis occurs, few people are prepared to deal with it, and when faced with big medical decisions, patients often are confused and overwhelmed, and they are sometimes too sick to make important decisions. Many times, decisions fall to family and loved ones who don’t always know the patient’s wishes. Intensive Caring: A Practical Handbook for Catholics about Serious Illness and End-of-Life Care is the perfect resource to help everyone involved navigate the complexities of healthcare during serious illness and end-of-life care.

In Intensive Caring, Dr. Natalie King, a palliative care physician, shares real-life patient stories and provides practical medical information to bring clarity and understanding to these complex healthcare decisions. In this easy-to-navigate guide, King helps you and your loved ones think through the issues at hand and align your decisions with your values and faith while safeguarding the sacred dignity of human life.

By clearly explaining Catholic beliefs and guidelines and debunking common misconceptions about healthcare, King addresses the most common questions she receives as a medical professional, such as these:

• What is palliative care, and how is it different from hospice?
• If I am diagnosed with a serious illness, what kinds of questions should I ask my doctor?
• How do I approach thinking about which healthcare options are best for me, and how do I communicate my preferences to my family?
• What are advance directives, why do they matter, and what is important to include as a Catholic?
• What is a “DNR,” and how should I understand and choose my options around resuscitation?
• What does the Catholic Church say about artificial nutrition and hydration?
• How do I advocate for my loved one’s dignity nearing the end of their life?

King also outlines what she sees as the characteristics of a good death, offers tips on advocating for your needs and values, provides spiritual encouragement, and includes prayers for patients, parish communities, and caregivers.

Most especially, King encourages you to have these healthcare conversations now, when you are healthy. Now is the time to communicate your preferences and desires to your loved ones. This will ease the stress, guilt, and worry when faced with end-of-life issues for you and your family.

Intensive Caring extends beyond the realm of Catholic laity, encompassing clergy, pastoral workers, and healthcare professionals seeking deeper insight into the application of Catholic belief and practice to intricate medical dilemmas. It equips them to effectively navigate such complexities and offer compassionate guidance to those under their care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646803194
Publisher:	Ave Maria Press
Publication date:	10/04/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	160
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Natalie King, MD, is a palliative medicine physician who cares for patients with serious illness and those nearing the end of life. King writes and speaks nationally educating about and advocating for the expansion of palliative medicine as the surest way to safeguard human dignity in serious illness and end-of-life care.

After finishing her medical training, King worked as a palliative medicine physician for several years at a hospital in Colorado where she led the hospital’s ethics committee and helped teach trainees. She partnered with the USCCB to improve education for Catholic laity about palliative care and organized a forum for the Catholic Medical Association on end-of-life issues.

King holds a bachelor of arts in anthropology and pre-professional studies from the University of Notre Dame, a master of arts in bioethics from the Ohio State University College of Medicine, and a doctor of medicine from Tulane University School of Medicine.

She lives with her family in Utah.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“As a caregiver, I longed for the information that is contained in this book! Faithful people want to do what is right for the sick. But what is right? And whom do we call on to support us and our loved ones when facing serious illness? I have heard Dr. Natalie King, speak about her work with great love and deep compassion. Her compassion spills out of this book, giving important guidance to and about the seriously ill.” —Fr. Richard Doerr, pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Carmel, Indiana

“Dr. Natalie King draws wisdom from her palliative care experience and navigates the complex ethical and theological terrain surrounding suffering and the dying process with compassion and great skill. This practical guide is a must-read for Catholics facing serious illness and their caregivers, as well as an indispensable guide for clinicians, chaplains, and pastors.” —Michael Garrido, MAPS, vice president of Mission Integration, Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital

“As a contemplative, a caregiver, and a cancer patient, I found Dr. Natalie King’s tremendous resource, Intensive Caring, to be the most helpful book I’ve read on end-of-life issues. King’s expertise in palliative care shines through compassionately in this comprehensive and clear guide to everything from medical procedures, choices, and how to make decisions, to the Church’s teachings on medical ethics and the dignity of the human person. A terrific companion for Catholics contemplating the challenges surrounding death and dying, this is also a beautiful manual for living life to its fullest with faith and trust in the goodness of God’s love for each of us. This will be my new go-to book for anyone facing a challenging diagnosis!” —Lisa M. Hendey, author of The Grace of Yes

“Intensive Caring is an essential Catholic guide for serious illness and end-of-life care. Dr. Natalie King’s sincere compassion and respect for the human person make this weighty subject wonderfully approachable. Using practical clinical experience and extensive knowledge of the Catholic Church’s teachings, King delivers sound guidance for those making difficult medical decisions for themselves or a loved one.” —Michelle K. Stanford, MD, president of the Catholic Medical Association