I'm writing about "Communication: A 'Can Opener' Approach?" (Insights on Death & Dying, November 2005). In this article, a nurse was trying to get a dying patient to "open up" about his feelings. Joy Ufema told the nurse not to push if a patient doesn't want to open up about his feelings.

What a wonderful opportunity for Ms. Ufema to share her obvious knowledge and empathy toward patients with this nurse, who clearly wanted to help her patient. It seems to me that both the patient and the nurse in this scenario needed empathy.

NORMA HELL, RN, BA, BN

Delisle, Saskatchewan