Ending Life Well. A podcast series for carers: Recent Episodes
Otago Community Hospice
This series has been developed for New Zealand’s army of unpaid family carers who are looking after a loved one who is dying. Developed by the specialist palliative team at Otago Community Hospice and supported by Hospice New Zealand, the series provides reliable advice and information for carers.
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Carers are an amazing group of people who care for the family and friends very well, but they often fail to look after themselves. Yet the health and vitality of a person at the centre of a life event is really intrinsically linked to the health and vitality of the person that's caring for them. Listen for some ideas and resources to help keep yourself well while you care for someone else.
Featuring Kelly Banks from Support Crew
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
Send us a Text Message.
Many family are supporting someone to stay at home while they live with dementia. In this interveiw with Lyneta Russell from Alzehimers New Zealand we look at some of the tools available to support their family member to live with dignity and retain what control they can
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
Send us a Text Message.
Māori know what's right for their own whānau and care for their whānau beautifully. However for some there may be a disconnection from their whakapapa, from their iwi, from their tikanga. This conversation with Diane Perenara, nurse, and Equity and Partnerships Manager at Arohanui Hospice, discusses reconnecting and shares a website that is dedicated to supporting Māori whānau providing care to adults and kaumatua at the end of life while taking care of their whānau.
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
Send us a Text Message.
Four simple phrases: “Please forgive me,” “I forgive you,” “Thank you,” and “I love you” — carry enormous power to mend and nurture our relationships and inner lives. In this conversation with Dr. Ira Byock he explains how we can practice these phrases in our day to day lives and the impact they can have.
Dr. Ira Byock is a palliative care physician from the USA and the author of three books - "Dying Well", "The Best Care Possible" and "The Four Things That Matter Most" the topic he discusses with us today.
This is an extended length episode.
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
Writing a biography is one way of celebrating a life that can bring pleasure to both the person telling their story and to those who treasure the record they have to remember them by. This episode explains why this can mean so much and offers tips on how to go about recording someone's story.
There are also suggestions that might appeal for creating memory bears, cushions, or other memory gifts.
A guide for planning your biography is available on the Otago Community Hospice Website
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
When we are caring for another person we often need to help them move around. This episode offers some advice on some of the things you can do to protect yourself while helping them to move between furniture, or in a bed, safely.
Please also follow this link to watch videos on assisting someone, and also on giving someone a bath or hair wash in bed.
https://www.youtube.com/@otagocommunityhospice817/videos
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
We often find when someone is dying they or their family struggle to talk about it. People may be reluctant to start a conversation or they may want to talk but just don't know how. This interview with Dr Kathryn Mannix shares some stories from her own experiences and offers ways to initiate a conversation, or perhaps a way to be comfortable with letting that conversation go.
Dr. Kathryn Mannix is a palliative care physician from the UK dedicated to supporting public understanding and discussion of dying. Kathryn is also the author of two books - 'With the End in Mind' and 'Listen, How to Find the Words for Tender Conversations'.
This is an extended length episode
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
When someone we care for moves into aged care it can have an impact on us as well as the person moving in. This episode identifies some of the ways this can surface, and tips for dealing with the challenges ahead.
Featuring Sally Fleming, a Nurse Practitioner specialising in palliative care in an aged care setting.
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
Having to transition into aged care is a challenge many of us will face. We explore very practical tips and ideas to make this transition easier.
Featuring Sally Fleming, a Nurse Practitioner specialising in palliative care in an aged care setting.
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
Teenagers and young adults might already find life complicated, so adding in loss and grief can be especially challenging. Maintaining relationships is a key starting point to supporting them through this time.
Featuring Paul McCone, a counsellor at Cranford Hospice who has experience working with children and adolescents through grief and loss.
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
We often want to protect children from grief, but this is not always possible, or desirable. Children need to be supported to process their grief in an age appropriate way. We share some suggestions for how to best meet the needs of your child.
Featuring Paul McCone, a counsellor at Cranford Hospice who has experience working with children and adolescents through grief and loss.
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
Relationships and Intimacy at the End of Life
Relationships can be challenging at the best of time. So when a loved one gets a terminal diagnosis, it’s a tough time for many. The power of touch, connection and intimacy during this journey can be significant to both carer and patient. We shares some ideas to help you sustain your relationship.
Featuring Clare Greensmith, a registered psychotherapist with a working interest in relationships and intimacy at the end of life.
Written resources to support this podcast can be found here
Find out more about Otago Community Hospice via our website, facebook or instagram
Email us: endinglifewell@otagohospice.co.nz
We would love to hear from you. Send us your feedback and suggestions for future topics.
This relaxation and visualisation recording can help with feelings of anxiety or a busy mind.
It uses imagery to create a positive experience in your mind and body.
It can be listened to whenever is most convenient for you, however a good time is just before bed, or before something you expect to be challenging.
We recommend listening to this a couple of times a day to begin with to help reduce existing background levels of stress.
This six minute recording can help with feelings of anxiety or a busy mind.
It can be listened to whenever is most convenient for you, however a good time is just before bed, or before something you expect to be challenging.
Once you have become familiar with the recording you can start to practice the technique on your own so you can draw on it, even when you don’t have the recording handy.
Additionally this is particularly useful for those dealing with COPD
What you need to know about Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney
An interview with Jenny Guthrie, a senior partner at Wilkinson Rogers Law. Jenny has also been involved with the board of Otago Hospice for the last 25 year.
There are plenty of myths around about Hospice and use of Morphine – but this episode explodes those myths, and details how meds work at the end of life.
An interview with Dr Chris Hopkins, a palliative care doctor at Otago Community Hospice.
Making some choices in advance is crucial, and can help your patient as well. Don’t leave this planning to the last minute, we’ve got lots of tips on how a funeral can be run.
An interview with Clark Campbell, a fourth generation funeral director.
These days of caring for someone you love who is dying will be hard. But it is important to ensure you find some meaning in your day-to-day actions.
An interview with Noeleen Christey, a spiritual care coordinator in palliative care, with a background of a Bachelors of theology.
Your world has turned topsy turvy. This episode provides are some key actions to help you stay the right way up.
An interview with Stefan Petersohn, a counsellor who works alongside both young people and with those dealing with grief.
Often patients will experience breathlessness; we give you tips and techniques for dealing with breathlessness, so you are prepared.
An interview with Christina Bowen, an Occupational Therapist and Palliative Care Coordinator with a wealth of experience in managing breathlessness.
Every decision you make in advance will help make everything easier later. This episode is a must listen for carer’s and family members.
An interview with Glenda Hall, a senior palliative care nurse and educator with a long-term interest in advanced care planning.
What does dying look like? And what do I need to do at the time of death?
An interview with Louisa Ingham, a Nurse Practitioner in palliative care.
You need to ensure that you rest, relax and sleep – we provide some ideas about how to fit this into your carer’s schedule, without letting your patient down.
An interview with Christine Pacey, an occupational therapist and palliative care team leader in Central Otago.
This is a very tiring journey – learn about why you as a carer are feeling so tired, and how you can manage your and your patient’s fatigue.
An interview with with Christine Pacey, an occupational therapist and palliative care team leader in Central Otago.
Grief is different for everybody. There are no clear guidelines, but we have some advice for adapting to the grief you are feeling.
An interview with Sue Lewis, a counsellor with a particular interest in working with grief and loss.
Meals can become difficult at end of life – learn about the signs of when to encourage someone to eat, knowing when to let them be, and meeting the food desires of your patient.
An interview with Dr. Sue MacDonell, a dietitian with a wealth of experience in palliative nutrition.
When looking after a loved one, looking after yourself is a priority too.
An interview with Sue Walton, a palliative care nurse specialist at Otago Community Hospice
Grief has so many different forms of expression; it’s not always about crying. Learn to recognise how your and others grief is conveyed.
An interview with Shireen Tresslor, a counsellor with a health psychology background and a long term interest in grief and loss, especially around chronic or terminal disease.
The meds on this journey can be confusing and overwhelming – we provide tips on managing new, different and changing medications.
An interview with Nik Wild, a pharmacist for over 30 years who has been involved with hospice for over 15 years and has an l in-depth understanding of palliative and end of life medications