Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and understand nurses’ experiences of the death of patients in geriatric hospitals. Methods: Van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenological analysis was applied in the interpretation of experiential descriptions of sevennurses who had experienced the death of patients in a geriatric hospital. Results: The essential subjects derived from the experienceof the nurses on the death of patients in a geriatric hospital are covered in the following 7 themes. ‘Placed in death site’, ‘Difficultrepetition of death and farewell’, ‘Emotional waves that rushes in after farewell’, ‘Dilemmas in a place with no preparation to greetexpected death’, ‘Getting dull from continually being struck with sorrow’, ‘Being together with living death’, and ‘Showing courtesyfor a good farewell and living well’. Conclusion: The results of this research will contribute to the development of policy on all thedeaths of patients in geriatric hospitals and suggest basic data that need to be applied in real practice and directions to introduceplans for realistic improvements in nursing care of deathbed patients in geriatric hospitals.