A closed brown journal, an open book, a feather quill, an ink bottle, and several loose sheets of paper.

For more than four decades I have helped families prepare for goodbye. My research changed hospice practice. My memoir explored my own grief. Until Then…Sweet Dreams is the novel I wrote to imagine what comes after goodbye — completing a lifetime of work devoted to helping people move from fear toward hope.

Authored Works

A smiling woman with glasses and short gray hair sitting on a wooden fence in a field with tall grass, autumn trees with colorful leaves, blue sky, and some clouds.

The Power of Fiction

Stories let readers safely explore questions that are difficult to discuss openly — not by prescribing answers, but by creating permission and opening conversations.

Coming Soon: Seeking an Agent

Until Then … Sweet Dreams

Dee knows how to say goodbye. What she doesn’t know is how to begin again.

Family Fiction: Fulfilling A Promise

Two books titled "The Adventures of Jimmy Olson" stand upright on a plain surface. One book has a dark cover, the other a light cover with an orange mountain landscape illustration and a silhouette of a person at the bottom.

The Adventures of Jimmy Olson finished a promise Debbie made to her husband David. He had started this fictional story representing many important aspects of his own life, Debbie finished it after he passed.

Memoir: The Hope of One Story

A poster featuring a large photograph of a group of people outdoors, framed with other photos and decorative elements. The poster promotes a person named Deborah Parker Oliver, highlighting her achievements as a finalist in health/wellness and next generation indie book awards.

An award winning Family Memoir “Legacies From The Living Room: A Love Grief Equation” is the story of our family journey with cancer and our mission to educate the world on its impact.

"Inspiring and written with a beautiful pace, natural breathers showing the author's sensitivity to the emotional weight on the reader, and well-crafted dialogue, Legacies from the Living Room checks every box for an emotional, inspiring read." Judge, 27th Annual Writers Digest Book Awards.

For more information see

www.legaciesfromthelivingroom.com

Textbooks and Testimonies

Book cover showing a dandelion silhouette against a sunset sky, with the title "Behavioral Intervention Research in Hospice and Palliative Care: Building an Evidence Base" and authors George Demiris, Debra Parker Oliver, and Karla T. Washington.

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION RESEARCH is a text book written for those interested in changing hospice and palliative care.

Academic Publications: Evidence from Many

COLLECTIVE VOICES are a series of letters to my research team from Hospice Family Caregivers describing their experience.

Book cover titled "Collective Voices: Family Reflections on the Hospice Journey" by Debra Parker Oliver and George Demiris. The cover features an open book with pages shaped like birds flying against a gradient background.

I

Peer Reviewed Research

Interior view of a historic library with tall bookshelves filled with old books, intricate woodwork, and arched ceilings.

With over 250 peer reviewed research articles, the majority of which were funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Parker Oliver describes the current state of the science and provides evidence to improve the caregiving and provision of hospice care across the country.

Learn More

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/collections/mybibliography/

LIGHT: Learning Institute of Global Hospice Training

Preparing Hospice Caregivers

Text on a light blue background reads, 'Preparing Caregivers with Knowledge, Ability, and the Power to Act,' with small yellow star graphics.

Hospice TV is the YouTube Channel home for LIGHT and contains educational videos and podcasts designed to prepare caregiving familys.

Putting her research into action Debbie is the Founder of LIGHT. A partnership between the Hospice Foundation for Outreach and Washington University, St. Louis Division of Palliative and Supportive Care Debbie has created handouts, videos, blogs and more as a resource for family caregivers of hospice patients.

LIGHT is focused on preparing caregivers for the journey ahead and uses a caregiver- to -caregiver approach to educational materials.