End of Life University: Recent Episodes
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by Karen Wyatt MD
When it was time for Doris, an 85-year old woman with biliary cancer, to be discharged from the hospital, her physician suggested to her and her family that she be admitted to hospice care. But Doris refused hospice care even though her family members strongly supported the doctor’s advice.
It’s not unusual for a patient to have concerns about signing on to a hospice for care and for families to get caught up in a struggle as they try to find the best care possible for their loved one. There are many reasons a patient like Doris might say no to hospice and it’s important for care providers and family members to try to understand her feelings. Here are some steps to take if you find yourself dealing with a loved one who refuses hospice care:
Listen without judgment.
Begin by calmly listening to whatever the patient needs to say. Don’t argue or try to persuade her to change her mind—just listen to see what you can learn about her feelings.
Ask why she is not comfortable with hospice.
If she hasn’t told you yet her reasons for saying no, ask her why. But again, don’t argue with her reasoning. Careful listening will help you understand her better and get a glimpse of how she views end-of-life care. She may have misconceptions about hospice or she may have had a traumatic experience with death in the past. Provide her with a safe space to express her feelings even if you don’t agree with them.
Validate her emotions.
Let her know that you understand why a decision to begin hospice care can be frightening and overwhelming. Don’t push or rush her to choose hospice but agree that she has the right to turn it down.
Gently provide reassuring facts.
Once you understand where her resistance is coming from you can gradually begin to provide additional factual information about hospice. Again, don’t argue—just mention some of the details about hospice and how it functions as a way of answering her fears. For example, many people fear that accepting hospice care means that death will come more quickly. In this situation you might explain that a study has shown that patients who receive hospice care actually live longer than patients with an identical diagnosis who do not receive hospice care.
Arrange for her to meet someone from hospice.
Invite a hospice staffer to meet her and answer questions. Connecting with a real person who represents the hospice team can go a long way toward reassuring the patient that hospice care is provided with compassion and empathy as well as expertise. During that face-to-face meeting you can bring up some of your loved one’s questions to show her that you are on her side and share her concerns.
Respect her wishes.
Let your loved one know that she has control over her own decisions and that you will honor her choices. She needs to feel supported or her resistance to hospice might increase if family members apply too much pressure.
Offer alternatives.
If palliative care is available in your area see if she might agree to accept that rather than hospice, since she will be able to continue curative treatments while receiving palliative care. Some patients may also agree to be admitted briefly to a home care service for evaluation of their potential for improvement. This temporary measure could buy some time while your loved one adjusts to the idea of hospice care.
Ultimately no one should be pressured into receiving hospice care if it doesn’t meet her preferences. But most patients who initially refuse care from hospice end up agreeing to it eventually and feeling good about their choice. We must allow patients the freedom to choose their own course with whatever timing is best for them. Showing respect for their right to make decisions for themselves is an important step to help patients embrace their own individual end-of-life process.
Learn about a helpful book for grieving teens by grief counselor and thanatologist Dr. Korie Leigh … and why you should have it on your bookshelf.
My guest Dr. Korie Leigh is a grief counselor and an Associate Professor and Program Director of the Thanatology Program at Marian University. She has spent 20 years working with children and families experiencing grief and loss. She is the author of two books including What Does Grief Feel Like? and It Won’t Ever Be the Same: A Teen’s Guide to Grief and Grieving. Learn more about her work at the website:
korieleighphd.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How children and teens are the forgotten grievers of our society * How childhood grief is most often expressed behaviorally and may be missed by adults * There is a gap in resources for children and teens as well as a gap in understanding their experience * About 1 out of every 10 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before the age of 18 * Why teachers need to be trained to recognize grief in their students * Resource for becoming a “grief informed” school * Tips for dealing with grief in the classroom, including the teacher’s own grief * Books are helpful for children to find the words to talk about their grief and its many emotions * How Dr. Leigh’s books help fill a gap in developmentally appropriate materials for children and teens * Thanatology courses and certificates offered through Marian University WI
Links mentioned in this episode: New York Life’s Grief Sensitive Schools Initiative * Hero’s Path Palliative Care in New Mexico * Ed Tronick’s “still face” experiment * Marian University Thanatology Program * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporter Pam, and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
by Karen Wyatt MD
When Gail and Gloria admitted their elderly mother to hospice as she neared the end of her life, they mentioned that they had a younger brother who had been estranged from the family for the past twenty years. The sisters agreed that they did not want him to be notified of their mother’s condition or to be part of the decision-making process. But then they learned from the hospice nurse that their mother had confided her deepest wish: to see her son again and to have her children reconcile their relationships. Finally Gail and Gloria agreed to reach out to their brother and ultimately the three of them were able to heal their differences and care for their mother as a united team. The sisters admitted that they were relieved to see their mother truly at peace at the end of life after they welcomed their brother back into the family.
Stories like this are repeated on a daily basis within hospices around the country. In fact one of the most rewarding aspects of working in hospice is the opportunity to see how families come together and strengthen their bonds when they learn that a loved one is nearing the end of life. Even families that have experienced stress and tension for years have managed to heal their differences when they are called to be at the bedside of a terminally ill family member. Here are some of the ways in which hospice helps to foster this type of reconciliation:
Teamwork is necessary to provide care.
A patient who receives hospice care at home must have family or paid caregivers available around the clock, which takes cooperation to arrange. Family members have to create a schedule for care and decide how to meet the needs of their loved one. This allows an opportunity for negotiation, which can bring out the best (or sometimes, the worst) of each person in the family.
Priorities shift at the end of life.
As patients and their families face their own mortality they often come to see that what really matters at the end of life is different than what mattered before. In the case of Gail and Gloria, their determination to keep their brother away soon faded when they saw how much their mother wanted them to forgive one another. Suddenly their old anger and resentments were no longer the most important issue driving their decisions and they began to see their relationship in a new light.
Focus is on the needs of the patient.
When families come together to help a loved one they tend to focus their efforts on what is best for the patient, and harmony between family members is always better for the wellbeing of the patient than conflict. Dying people often want to know that their children, parents or siblings love one another and will take care of each other after they are gone. These wishes at the end of life can be powerful motivators for family members to heal their relationships.
Hospice staff helps with communication.
The hospice team includes a social worker, chaplain and often a counselor who are trained to help families with communication. These staff members can facilitate family discussions and mediate when conflicts arise. In our hospice we frequently reached out to estranged family members on behalf of our patients to invite them to reconnect with their loved ones. With help, the majority of these families were able to find peace after many years of disruption.
Caregiving can foster forgiveness.
The act of caring for an ill loved one requires determination and sacrifice, but also leads to deeper connection and intimacy. As family members work together to provide care and meet the needs of the patient they may soften their hard edges and let go of their demands for perfection from one another. This is a scenario that then leads to forgiveness as each person recognizes their interdependence and finds value in being close rather than being at odds with one another.
Hospice teams model compassion.
One of the greatest benefits of working with hospice is the heart-centered focus of the people who make up the hospice team. The nurses, aides, chaplains, social workers, volunteers, and even the administrators of the hospice are all trained to be comfortable with death and have developed their capacity for compassion as well as their medical expertise. When hospice team members visit their patients, family members have the opportunity to observe how to be present with a dying person and how to bring love and calmness to any situation. This powerful learning experience is available to families who choose to admit their loved ones to hospice at the end of life.
Of course, not every family will find a way to come together in peace and reconciliation when their loved one nears the end of life. In fact, some families are split even further apart over conflicts around how and where their loved one should receive care. But the likelihood of healing family disruption is increased when a decision to utilize hospice is made early on in the end of life process. It takes time to let go of past difficulties and find forgiveness so it’s never too soon to begin working toward that outcome. Patients and families both benefit from having more days together to focus on love, care and respect as life is nearing the end—and hospice team members are the perfect teachers and guides for that journey.
Learn how grief is a major theme of Alexander Hamilton’s life as portrayed in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical Hamilton.
Today I’m joined once again by my co-host Benjamin Kintisch for another episode of the Death & Grief in Pop Culture Series. Ben is a cantor, hospice and eldercare chaplain, music teacher, and the creator of Life Review: The Hospice Musical. Together we talk about all the interesting ways death shows up in culture, what we might learn about death and grief through the lens of pop culture, and how we can utilize popular references to death and grief to increase death literacy for ourselves and others. This week we are discussing the Broadway musical “Hamilton” Learn more about Ben’s work at his website:
lifereviewmusical.com
View lyrics here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How we can talk about difficult subjects with a touch of lightness and humor * Some of the most memorable moments in theatre deal with uncomfortable topics * Grief is a powerful lens through which to view the mega-Broadway hit Hamilton * Alexander Hamilton experienced multiple types of grief including survivor’s grief and guilt as a war hero * The poignancy of the death of Hamilton’s son Phillip and subsequent grief as expressed in the song It’s Quiet Uptown * How setting apart this song in contrast to others in the musical made it even more emotionally evocative * We need to experience the full spectrum of emotions in our grief * How Eliza Hamilton utilized her grief to take action and make a difference in the world
Links mentioned in this episode: Previous episode in this series * Watch Hamilton the movie on Disney+ * Listen to the soundtrack on Spotify * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporters Bonnie and CJ, and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
By Karen Wyatt MD
When my niece died in hospice in another city a few years ago I was unable to travel there to say goodbye before her death. I was crushed that I didn’t have one last opportunity to hold her hand and tell her I loved her, but as it worked out that visit was just not possible.
In an ideal world many of us would like to be with our dearest loved ones at the end of their lives, to say goodbye and “I love you” one last time. But in this day and age we live very busy lives that often take place many miles away from our families so there are times when we cannot travel to be present for those special and fleeting moments.
Some of us may even go to great lengths to get to another city only to find that we missed the final breath by a few hours. This distressing reality can lead to unresolved guilt and grief as we blame ourselves for not being there. But here are some things I’d like you to know about the dying process based on my many years of hospice experience:
- Dying has a unique time frame.
Even with the best of medical knowledge we cannot accurately predict when a terminal patient will die. I have seen patients live far longer than seemed medically possible and also patients who died much sooner than expected for no obvious reason. Don’t blame yourself if you cannot be there at the “right” time since you have no way of knowing in advance when that time will be.
- Dying is an internal process.
In the last few days before death patients tend to turn inward and focus on the personal work they need to do in order to let go of life. They enter into a semi-comatose state where they seem to be having experiences that we cannot understand. They may express a desire to see a particular family member, but often they are preoccupied with their own process and don’t need much interaction with others. Most likely your loved one is not focusing on whether or not you are physically present in the room.
- Each person’s preferences are different.
Some people want to be surrounded by loved ones as they prepare to die, but others need to be left alone in order to complete the work they are doing. We usually cannot predict who will want to be alone in advance and even patients themselves, when asked about it ahead of time, don’t realize that they may need solitude during those last moments. Some people who have always been very social find that they no longer want to interact with others when they are ready to die.
While you may want to be there to say goodbye it’s possible that your loved one is content to have fewer visitors at that time. In fact one woman I know spent every moment at her mother’s side so that she would not die alone. But the mother took her last breath during a brief period when her daughter went outside for a few minutes. Apparently she needed to be alone to finally let go and her daughter simply had to accept her choice.
- Sometimes dying patients seem to delay death
Again without any medical explanation, some dying patients seem to be able to postpone the time of death in order to “wait” for a loved one who is expected to visit. I have seen many occasions when the patient had an intense need to see someone one last time and, against medical odds, survived an amazing number of extra days, until that person arrived. If your loved one did not wait for you to come please view it as a sign that there was no unfinished business between you and don’t blame yourself for not getting there on time.
- The dying perceive things that we cannot explain.
In my work with dying patients I have witnessed their ability to “see” and “feel” the love that others are sending to them, even from a far distance. Many of them have explained that they feel connected to distant family members and “know” that they are loved, even if those people cannot be physically present. Trust that all of your concern and loving thoughts have been received by your dear one and forgive yourself for not being able to be in the room at the time of death.
If you know you cannot be there and you have a need to say goodbye try calling on the telephone to express your love. The day before my mother died she received phone calls from two dear friends who lived far away. Even though she was semi-comatose she listened as I held the receiver to her ear and smiled at the sound of their voices. She was unable to respond verbally but I could see that she heard the message so I reassured her friends that their farewells got through to her.
Remember that you have no control over the timing of your loved one’s death. Follow your heart and travel if you need to and you can but don’t stress if it doesn’t work out. Your effort and your loving intention will still be perceived by your loved one in some way or another.
Trust that your loved one would not want you to carry a burden of guilt with you and create your own “goodbye” ritual if you cannot be there in person. On the day my niece died I gathered some wildflowers and dropped them into a flowing stream while I spoke all of the messages I would have shared with her at her bedside. My heart became much lighter as I imagined her standing next to me, watching the blossoms drift slowly downstream.
May you too find a way to be at peace with every farewell you must speak from a distance.
Learn how an astrologer uses death charts to provide insights and solace for people who are grieving.
My guest Moon Zlotnik is an astrologer who has been practicing and teaching astrology full-time for over 40 years. Her practice of modern astrology includes a focus on both psychology and spirituality. She discusses her discovery of the helpfulness of astrological “death charts” for grief after the death of her twin sister and how she uses the charts now in her work with bereaved clients. She is the author of the book Star Sisters: An Astrologer’s Memoir of Twin Loss and is currently working on a second book about death charts. Learn more at her website:
astrologybymoonrabbit.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What astrologers do and various applications of astrology in our world * How Moon first got interested in working with people who are grieving * Why astrology is not inconsistent with science and can fit into a scientific understanding of the universe * The mystery of the timing of a person’s last breath * The profound grief of twin loss * What information is required before creating a death chart * The death chart can tell a narrative about the passage at the end of life and what transformation is possible for loved ones * Astrology can help put together the “puzzle pieces” of life and make sense of them * How Moon ensures that readings are empowering rather than fear-inducing * How these insights can help us live more consciously and purposefully
Links mentioned in this episode: Twinless Twins International * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. Also thank you to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
by Karen Wyatt MD
When family members are called upon to make a difficult decision on behalf of a loved one at the end of life it can be one of the most challenging situations they’ve ever faced. This stressful time is made even worse if they have never discussed end-of-life issues and have no idea what their loved one would want for themselves. Many families experience conflicts during these times that can cause feelings of blame and guilt that last for years.
Every day in this country families struggle with difficult decisions of whether or not to continue medical treatment for loved ones who can no longer speak for themselves. In fact Pew Research Center estimates that about 10% of the general public in the U.S. will have to make such a choice on behalf of a loved one during any five-year time period.[i]
To avoid such a crisis when a loved one becomes terminally ill it is important to have a conversation now about their end-of-life preferences. But if there’s no time left and you find yourself in the position of having to make a difficult decision for someone who doesn’t have an advance directive, here are some guidelines for how to proceed:
Gather medical information first
Talk with your loved one’s doctors and get as many facts as you can. Have the doctors explain the diagnosis and any additional complications that have occurred. Ask about the effectiveness of the treatment being recommended, the chances for recovery or improvement, and any side effects or additional suffering that might be caused by the treatment. Also ask what will happen if treatment is stopped and the condition follows its natural course. You might even ask the doctors what choice they would make if faced with this same decision for a loved one.
Get expert advice
If your hospital has a palliative care service ask for a consultation. The palliative care team usually consists of a doctor (or nurse practitioner), nurse, social worker and chaplain all of whom have been trained to help with difficult medical decisions. They can facilitate a discussion with you and other members of your family and offer their wisdom and experience from different perspectives. As a team they will help you understand the medical information and explain all options available.
Remember past conversations
Try to recall any past discussions you have had with your loved one when the subject of illness of the end of life may have come up. Think back to a time when your loved one experienced the death of someone close, perhaps a parent or sibling. Did your loved one seem at peace and accepting of the death or fearful and resistant? Try to recall any comments made or issues that were discussed to get some clues about the choices your loved one might make for care right now.
Consider the statistics
According to the NIH most Americans say they want to die at home, even though the majority still die in hospitals, nursing homes or inpatient hospice facilities.[ii]
Also in a Pew Research Center study on attitudes toward aggressive treatment at the end of life, only a third of respondents say they would want everything possible done to keep them alive.[iii] The majority of people feel it would be acceptable to stop treatment in case of severe pain or incurable illness. Do you think your loved one would agree with the majority of people about these issues?
Ask your loved one for guidance
This last suggestion might sound strange if your loved one is unresponsive. But studies have shown that patients in coma are still able to hear when they are spoken to. Here is an exercise you can use to help you get in touch with the deeper wishes of your loved one:
Sit quietly at the bedside of your love one and hold his or her hand. Take some deep breaths to help you get into a relaxed state then say aloud or to yourself, “I have a difficult decision to make and I need your help.” Close your eyes and imagine that you are holding her hand across a table while you sit together and drink tea or wine or whatever would seem natural for the two of you. See her as healthy and vibrant as you ask her what decision she would like you to make on her behalf. Keep breathing slow and deep and wait patiently for an answer from her that might give you a clue about her preferences.
Even if you don’t hear an answer during this exercise you will at least know that you tried to find out what your loved one would prefer and that you’ve done everything you could to make the best decision possible. Trust your intuition or “gut” feeling as you have a final discussion with the medical team.
Be gentle with yourself
After the decision has been made and carried out, be forgiving of yourself for whatever happens next. Trust that your loved one knows you have acted from love and done your best to make the right choice. If treatment is going to be discontinued you might create a ritual to say goodbye and thank you for the life they have lived and the love they have given.
Whenever difficult decisions have been made it is normal to later have doubts and questions about the correctness of that choice. Recognize those feeling when they arise, acknowledge the pain, and then see that you are not responsible for your loved one’s life path even though the burden fell upon you to make a final decision. Life is a mystery and the end of life is even more mysterious. We cannot predict or control the events that happen … we simply must do the best we can with the options available to us.
[i] http://www.people-press.org/2006/01/05/strong-public-support-for-right-to-die/
[ii]https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2708119/
[iii]http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2009/08/20/end-of-life-decisions-how-americans-cope/
Learn from an expert about the dynamics of the dying process and the most common concerns of caregivers as their loved one approaches death.
This week I’m welcoming once again my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN who is a hospice nurse, author, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. She is the author of Gone from My Sight: The Dying Experience, also known in the hospice world as “the little blue book,” which remains the leading resource on the market today educating families on the signs of approaching death. She discusses the most common questions and concerns that arise for caregivers as their loved one goes through the final stages of life. Learn more about Barbara’s work and books at her website:
bkbooks.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Stages of the natural dying process that are commonly observed * Fear of death can interfere with meaning at the end of life * How movies contribute to misunderstandings about the dying process * The importance of education for the general public about the signs and changes of natural dying * Gradual death has a process that begins 2-6 months before death * The first stage of dying is marked by changes in sleep, socialization and food intake which become more significant with time * The “labor” of dying begins 2-3 weeks before death * Mottling of skin is a sign of the final stage along with changes in breathing * Being at the bedside of someone who is dying forces us to be in the present moment * Why it’s difficult to predict exactly when a person will die even though we know what signs to watch for
Links mentioned in the episode: Blog: How Being a Caregiver Helped Me With Grief * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporter Jim Schultz and to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
By Karen Wyatt MD
As a hospice doctor I have often worked with families caring for a dying loved one at home. But I have only once had the opportunity to switch places and be the caregiver myself when my mother died. That was a profound and educational experience for me as I suddenly understood personally what it was like to be with a dying loved one around-the-clock.
While before I had imagined what it felt like to sit up all night at the bedside holding vigil before the moment of death, I can now vividly recall the exhaustion and the uncertainty of that experience. Now I know far more than ever before what the act of being a caregiver takes and what it gives back.
I was able to let go of little moments with her one-by-one.”
The greatest blessing of being a caregiver for me was the opportunity to experience grief even before my mother had died. I was able to let go of little moments with her one-by-one: the last time she ate a spoonful of the custard she loved so much, the last morning she brushed her own hair, the last afternoon she shuffled through the kitchen with her walker, the last evening she sat on her recliner and listened to the news, the last night she touched my face and kissed me goodnight.
With the arrival of each new day, something else had been lost and the little world we were sharing became a bit smaller until we were left with only the bed she rested upon and the chair where I sat next to her. But I was able to let all of it go gradually while she was letting go of life and the pain I felt was somehow bearable.
There are other ways that the act of being a caregiver helped me:
- Providing hands-on care and keeping my mother comfortable in her last hours gave me comfort as well. I was not just passively observing her dying process but I was helping her and it was a tremendous relief to be able to do something for her at that time.
- I knew I was honoring her wishes by keeping her at home because she had talked with me about what she wanted at the end of life. Everything I did and every moment I spent with her felt “right” to me because I understood her preferences.
- I was there for special moments when Mom spoke a few words or opened her eyes and smiled. Those tiny little experiences mean everything to me now as I remember our journey together to her last breaths. I am forever grateful that I didn’t miss a single moment.
- I could give her one last gift of gratitude by enabling her to stay in her own home and have the kind of death she wanted. While there is no way to ever repay a mother for all of her years of nurturing and tender care, being there when Mom needed me was one small gesture I could make to show her my deep love.
- We forgave one another. Our relationship had not always been easy and there were some painful memories between us that we could never discuss. But in the middle of the night when Mom nearly fell out of bed and I was frantically trying to lift her back to safety, we connected in a moment of pure human frustration and love. Without saying a word we looked at one another and both understood somehow—life is difficult and we hurt one another along the way but nothing really shakes the deep love that resonates between our hearts. We both let go of all our resentment in that brief moment.
These opportunities were only possible because we had enlisted the aid of a home hospice team, who made regular visits and assisted me with the care that was needed. I could not have done the work without their help and I understand more than ever the important role played by hospice staffs all over the world.
I am a new person since caring for my Mom at the end of her life. I am a better doctor, a more compassionate wife, a more fun-loving mother, and a much wiser woman as I face my own aging. Life and death and grief … they are all what we make of them and how we take care of ourselves and others during the journey. I know this for sure now and the rest of my life will be blessed by that knowledge.
Learn about a beautiful, sustainable option for disposition of ashes after death at the base of a memorial tree.
My guest Gillian Nye has served at the Forest Memorials Manager at Better Place Forests for the past 6 years. She helps families create meaningful, nature-centered ceremonies that honor their loved ones in a unique and sustainable manner. She will tell us how and why to choose a special tree as a memorial for ourselves or those we love. If you love trees (as I do) and want to learn about sustainable options for disposition after death don’t miss this conversation! Learn more at the website:
betterplaceforests.com
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The story behind how Better Place Forests got started * Where the forests are located * The process for choosing a memorial tree (online or in-forest) * Reforestation of other forests through partnership with Arbor Day Foundation * How families can return over time to visit the tree they’ve chosen * Examples of nature-centered ceremonies that have taken place in the forests * How families benefit from choosing a tree as a memorial (rather than a tombstone) * The “spreading grove” as a less-expensive forest option for disposition
Links mentioned in this episode: Karen Wyatt on Growth Mixtape Podcast * Previous interview with Sandy Gibson of Better Place Forests * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. Also thank you to James M. Schultz for buying me a cup of coffee and to Sue Julian who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
by Karen Wyatt MD
As a hospice physician who has cared for thousands of patients at the end of their lives, I had always assumed that hospice care would be an obvious choice for my mother when it came time for her to die. We had talked openly about my work for many years so I was not prepared for the fear and resistance that came up for her when it was time to choose the next steps in her medical care.
I soon learned that while Mom thought hospice care was wonderful and a blessing for other people, she was not prepared to accept it for herself. As we talked together I learned that she had many of the same misunderstandings about hospice care that I had heard from patients and their families in my work. Before she could agree to become a hospice patient we needed to address each of Mom’s concerns and misperceptions:
- Does hospice mean “going without” medical care?
Mom feared that she would no longer be under the care of a doctor or be receiving attention for her medical problems. I helped her understand that hospice provides excellent care through a team approach that includes a doctor, nurse, aide, chaplain, social worker, and volunteers. Not only would all of her medical needs still be looked after, but she would actually be receiving the best possible care that focuses on the whole person, rather than just the disease.
- Does hospice mean “giving up” on life?
Many people, including my Mom, have the misunderstanding that hospice should only be chosen when you no longer care about life. But in fact, I explained to Mom, patients who do choose hospice are able to enjoy life more fully because their time and energy is no longer consumed with difficult treatments and uncomfortable side effects. With the excellent symptom management provided by the hospice team, patients are able to spend time with their loved ones and enjoy special moments, such as these my patients have experienced: having a picnic in the park, watching a play, attending a birthday party, or going fishing.
- Does hospice mean going to an “old folks home”?
Mom feared that if she chose hospice she might end up being admitted to a “home,” where she would be neglected or abandoned. I reassured her that hospice care would be provided in her own home by an attentive staff. She could be comfortable in her own surroundings with me and other family members looking after her with the help of the hospice workers. Those patients who need to be admitted to an inpatient facility still receive the same level of compassionate care that is provided in the home and can have loved ones at the bedside throughout their stay.
- Does hospice mean being cared for by strangers?
Mom quickly learned during our introductory meeting with the hospice nurse that the healthcare workers who are attracted to hospice work are very special people. She immediately bonded with the nurse and recognized that she would be receiving not only competent care, but also compassionate, loving care. Her fears of being neglected or mistreated vanished when she saw that during her home visits she was free to ask questions and express her wishes.
- Do hospice patients die more quickly?
Mom was concerned that choosing to move from curative treatment to supportive hospice care would shorten her life. But I was able to reassure her with statistics showing that hospice patients actually live longer than patients with the same diagnosis who do not receive hospice care. In my experience many patients lived more days than expected and also reported greater quality of life during those days.
By listening to Mom’s fears and providing her with factual information about hospice care I was able to help her choose to be admitted to a home hospice. She bonded with the staff quickly and looked forward to every visit. She set aside special books to give to her nurse that she thought she might enjoy reading and considered her a friend.
Mom’s last weeks of life were filled with laughter and love as she spent them in her home surrounded by the people and things she cherished. Hospice made it possible for her to stay in her home and offered support to me as her caregiver. We navigated her last days together, mother and daughter, and discovered our own special moments of healing and forgiveness that might not have been possible in a different setting.
During one of her last lucid days Mom, with tears in her eyes, expressed her thankfulness that she had chosen hospice because “this has all been wonderful.” She wouldn’t have had it be any other way. She wanted everyone to know that hospice eases fear and offers hope and love, which is the perfect way to spend your last moments of life.
Learn about a unique postgraduate program in Scotland that offers a global and cultural context to end of life studies for a diverse group of students.
My guest Marian Krawczyk is a medical anthropologist interested in the culture of health, illness and medicine, particularly in relation to the end of life. She is the Lead Convenor for the End of Life Studies Program at the University of Glasgow and will discuss what this program offers and what makes it unique in the field of end-of-life education. We will set the stage for future interviews with some of the graduates of the program where they will share their original research projects. Marian is also the founder of the End-of-Life Doula International Research Group, which you can learn more about at the following website:
eold.org
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Marian is researching the rise of the death doula movement * How the Glasgow program approaches the interdisciplinary study of death and dying * A non-traditional pathway of entry into the program is available including an introductory microcourse and a “taster” course * The diversity of students who have been attracted to the program from multiple countries * Insights from comparative studies across different cultural and international contexts * Being part of the “community of the unalike” * Marian’s research on experiences of ecological grief related to climate change and her interest in meeting students who are drawn to this work * Key issues that will shape the future of end-of-life studies * How to learn more about the Glasgow program of End of Life Studies
Links mentioned in this episode: End of Life Studies Programme at the University of Glasgow * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, What to Watch list, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially to Kitty for increasing your pledge, and to Roberta Cummins for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
by Karen Wyatt MD
When my mother reached the end of her life she had only two requests: that she be able to die in her own home and that I be by her side. But I knew as well that it would be very important for her to retain her dignity, even as her physical health was declining. Mom had always been a beautiful woman and took pride in how she dressed and presented herself to the world. So I realized it would be important to her to feel she was at her best even in the worst of situations.
In my research as a hospice doctor about providing the best quality care to patients I learned that the word dignity comes from the Latin word dignitas, meaning worth or value. I understood that one of the keys to preserving Mom’s dignity would be to make sure she always felt valued and worthy of the greatest love possible as she was dying. But how could I accomplish that?
According to studies done by Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov,[1] dignity at the end of life can be undermined by inadequately treated pain, lack of support both from family and from professionals, depression or hopelessness, increased dependency, and lack of quality of life. So using those guidelines I set out to make sure that Mom would not question her own value or worth as she was dying. Here are some of the steps I took:
- Enlist the help of a local hospice.
The hospice we worked with provided a nurse who made home visits to assess Mom’s pain and other symptoms and then brought us the medications and medical equipment needed to keep her comfortable. Hospice also provided a home health aide who helped Mom bathe and change her clothes and bed linens when needed. So with the help of hospice Mom had reliable professional support and care for her pain and dependency needs.
- Maintain her self-care rituals.
For as long as I could remember Mom had always had a nightly ritual of applying various cleansers and creams to her face, neck and eyes before she went to sleep. When she could no longer get out of bed I brought in a tray of her facial creams and helped her apply them, just as she had done every night in the past. This simple gesture helped her see that she was still the same person she had always been and that she still mattered.
- Invite family and friends to visit.
A few days before Mom died I set aside some time when her closest friends and family members could stop by for a final brief visit. I fixed her hair, dressed her in her best robe and straightened up her bedroom so that she would feel comfortable having guests come in. She beamed brightly that day at the outpouring of love for her and had the chance to deliver her own messages of love to special people. She knew without a doubt that she was cherished.
- Support her spiritual preferences.
Mom had always been deeply religious but in the last few days of her life she began to wonder why God was still keeping her alive when she was so ready to die. She told me many stories of her prayers for other people and miracles that she had witnessed and I helped her to see that perhaps she was still alive because there were still people who needed her prayers. This thought gave her great comfort and she decided to pray for blessings for the hospice workers who had been caring for her. She went to sleep on her last night of life recognizing that she had a valuable role to play even as she was dying.
Preserving my mother’s dignity in the last days of her life was the least I could do for her after the care she had given to me throughout my life. I learned that when we slow down, take time to listen and be present with our loved ones, they will tell us what they need in order to feel valued and worthy of our love. In the days and months following her death my own grief was easier to bear because I knew Mom had died in peace and love and with her dignity still intact.
[1] Chochinov HM, Hack T, Hassard T, Kristjanson LJ, McClement S, Harlos M.
Lancet. 2002 Dec 21-28;360(9350):2026-30
Learn how a funeral director who is also an end-of-life doula merges “head and heart” in her work to help people prepare for the end of life.
My guest Christa Ovenell is a licensed funeral director, an end-of-life doula, and the founder of Death’s Apprentice Education & Planning. She shares how she helps people think about, talk about, and prepare for the end of life and what comes after. Her work highlights the importance of planning how to live fully during our last days so that we don’t waste any of our precious time, and how to navigate all the transitions of life as we age. Learn more at her website:
deathsapprentice.ca
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Why Christa ended up becoming both a funeral director and end-of-life doula * When people don’t plan for their funerals and disposition they often end up with expensive options that weren’t really wanted * Tips for getting end-of-life planning done while we are still healthy * 4 pillars of decision-making * How “heart work” is the hard work we need to do * How a “pre-need” for funerals can be helpful to families * Why decluttering is part of death-preparedness * How to navigate life-altering transitions while aging
Links mentioned in this episode: NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. Also thank you to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn why you should start a death collaborative in your community and tips for getting started.
My guests this week are members of the Minnesota Death Collaborative and will share how the collaborative was created, including tips for others who might like to start a similar collaborative in their community or state. Michelle Kolling is a hospice volunteer and end-of-life doula who serves as secretary of the collaborative and Nina Guertin is an end-of-life doula, death educator and a co-founder of the original collaborative. They share their personal experiences and the benefits and challenges of collaborating with others. Learn more about each guest and the MN Death Collaborative at the links below:
Michelle Kolling: heldoula.com
Nina Guertin: tendingthespirit.care
MN Death Collaborative: mndeathcollaborative.org
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How the MN Death Collaborative was initially created * The benefits of being a member of a collaborative * How a collaborative organization offers credibility to those who are creating their own businesses * The end of life is a multifactorial experience which demands a team approach * How a person-centered approach is “built in” to the mission of the collaborative * Types of events sponsored by the collaborative * How to sustain a collaborative over time * The importance of slowing down and taking smaller steps in the beginning * Tips for other groups that want to start a collaborative * The infrastructure needed to support such a movement
Links mentioned in this episode: All Together Symposium: Nurturing Partnerships. Reimagining Palliative Care. * Previous episode on Compassionate Communities * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu. Also thank you to Anonymous for buying me a cup of coffee and to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how death and grief are portrayed in pop culture through this new series that analyzes theater, film and music, starting with the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.
Trigger Warning*: This episode contains references to suicide and grief after suicide so use your own discretion if these are sensitive topics for you. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide and need help call or text the National Suicide Hotline at 988*.
My guest Benjamin Kintisch is a cantor, hospice and eldercare chaplain, music teacher, and the creator of Life Review: The Hospice Musical. Ben and I are teaming up for a new series on Death & Grief in Pop Culture to talk about all the interesting ways death shows up in culture, what we might learn about death and grief through the lens of pop culture, and how we can utilize popular references to death and grief to increase death literacy for ourselves and others. This week we are discussing the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” Learn more about Ben’s work at his website:
lifereviewmusical.com
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Death and grief are all around us in popular culture * How pop culture can help us increase death literacy for ourselves and in conversations with others * Learning how to stay present with the pain and grief of others * The power of live theatre to touch our hearts and teach our minds * The preponderance of orphans as characters in popular films and stories * Death and grief in Life Review: The Hospice Musical * The authenticity of grief depicted in Dear Evan Hansen * Why this musical is transformative and uplifting at the end
Links mentioned in this episode: Register here for Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest Workshop; September 22 at 7 pm Eastern with Hsien Seow PhD and Sammy Winemaker MD * Watch Dear Evan Hansen * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporters Cheri and Mark and to Dana Tuttle for buying me 3 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how a palliative clinician and a researcher are helping to create a social movement for improving the patient and family experience of serious illness.
This week I’m welcoming Drs. Sammy Winemaker and Hsien Seow, creators of The Waiting Room Revolution and authors of the book Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest. Sammy is a palliative care physician and an associate clinical professor at McMaster University. Hsien is a professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University who publishes health care research focused on improving the patient and family experience for those facing serious illness. Together they co-host The Waiting Room Revolution Podcast to help patients and family members feel hopeful and prepared when facing serious illness. Their book Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest is the featured book for the month of September 2024 in A Year of Reading Dangerously reading group. Learn more about their work and download the discussion guide for the book at the links below:
waitingroomrevolution.com
Get the book here
Discussion Guide
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Why Sammy and Hsien decided to write the book * The 7 keys they focus on for navigating serious illness * Why patients and their families benefit from “walking the two roads” of hope and preparation * How the medical system currently fails to support patients in preparing for the possibility that treatment may not have the desired outcome * How our hopes and plans evolve as our illness journey changes * A palliative approach to patients and illness helps clinicians in all specialties avoid burnout * How seeing the “big picture” journey of an illness can help with decision-making * Why caregivers also need preparation at the beginning of an illness journey
Links mentioned in this episode: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporters Jenny Gedda, Carolynn Rafa Todd, and Karen Sueanna! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about some helpful episodes from the EOLU Archives that can show you how and why to start teaching others about death and dying.
This week I’m sharing another “Podcast Playlist” which is a topic-focused deep dive into the archives of EOLU. I have created several anthologies of episodes that deal with specific subjects to make it easier for you to take advantage of the wealth of information available from previous interviews on the podcast. This playlist centers on Death Education and you’ll learn a lot about why we all need to be death educators in our communities right now, tips for creating our own classes or events, and various resources and trainings that are available to help you start to teach others. You can see the slides for this episode if you watch on YouTube at the link below or you can download a handout of the slides and a list of the presenters. There’s a lot of content here – this playlist should help you choose the episodes you want to listen to!
View slides here
YouTube Channel
Handout of Presenters
Listen here:
This episode includes: Ep. 368 Why Death Education is Important * Ep. 130 How Death Awareness Can Change the World * Ep. 132 How to be a Great Death-Ed Teacher * Ep. 127 The Consequences of Ignoring Death * Ep. 129 How to Teach Death-Ed to College Students with Stacy Smith * Ep. 300 Reena Lazar of Willow EOL – https://www.willoweol.com * Ep. 370 Rev. Karen Johnston of Date with Death Club – https://datewithdeathclub.com * Ep. 421 Qwynn Galloway-Salazar – Caring for Veterans Courses – https://psycharmor.org/caring-for-veterans-through-end-of-life * Ep. 350 Elizabeth Johnson & Erin Collins – https://thepeacefulpresenceproject.org * Ep. 447 Compassionate Communities Course – https://peacefulpresence-courses.thinkific.com/courses/comcom-101 * Ep. 29 How to Start a Death Café with Betsy Trapasso * Ep. 33 How to Start an EOL Book Club * Ep. 52 How to Start an EOL Film Series in Your Community * Ep. 32 How to Plan an EOL Event for Your Community with Ashley Benem * Ep. 74 Lessons from a Death Positive Event with Holly Pruett * Ep. 335 Death Café with Megan Mooney – https://deathcafe.com * Ep. 374 The Death Deck with Lisa Pahl and Lori LoCicero – https://thedeathdeck.com * Ep. 403 Death Over Drafts with Stefanie Elkins – https://www.deathoverdrafts.com*
Links mentioned in this episode: Get the Teaching Guidelines for a Death & Dying Class * Sign up for Death & Dying Class Instructor Training * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporters Margie Blanchard and Bonnie! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn some tips and tools for offering support to family caregivers tending a loved one on hospice.
My return guest Gabby Jimenez is a hospice nurse, end-of-life doula, death and dying educator, author and blogger. She is the author/co-author of numerous books, including Dignity Day and The Doula Tool Kit and the host of The Hospice Heart community on Facebook. In today’s conversation she shares her thoughts about how to support family caregivers through some of the overwhelming issues they face while caring for a loved one. We address our concerns for the well-being of family caregivers and offer some tips for improving their experience with hospice and easing their subsequent grief after death occurs. Learn more at her website:
thehospiceheart.net
Get Gabby’s books here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Major issues for family caregivers tending a loved one on hospice care * How lack of training for caregivers leads to fears of not doing the right thing and lingering guilt after death * What to say to reassure a family caregiver * The importance of slowing down and listening deeply to the concerns of the caregiver * Tools and tips for supporting a family caregiver
Links mentioned in this episode: Podcast episode with Ryan Bailey discussing his grief: YouTube * Previous conversations with Gabby on Dignity Day and The Doula Tool Kit * Gabby’s Facebook Group: The Hospice Heart * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporters Heather Capuana and Paul, and to Peg Hofmann for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how a home funeral guide and an aqua cremation provider collaborate to help families care for a loved one’s body after death.
My two guests this week are collaborators who work together to ensure that their clients can access family involved deathcare: Trina Wacasey is an end-of-life doula, home funeral guide and the founder of Creating Honoring Spaces; and David Perfito is the founder of the first alkaline hydrolysis facility in the state of California, White Rose Aqua Cremation. They share how they came to work together in collaboration and how their model can be an inspiration for others to address gaps in deathcare in their communities. Learn more at their websites:
creatinghonoringspaces.com
whiteroseaquacremation.com
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What a home funeral is * Why a family might consider a home funeral (and why it may not be right for everyone) * Why families need a guide to help them navigate the funeral process * Trina’s “mini mobile suite” for after-death care * How aqua cremation works * Advantages of aqua cremation (alkaline hydrolysis) over fire cremation * How White Rose Aqua Cremation can serve people wherever they live * How Trina and David work together even they are located 7 hours apart * How home funerals and eco-friendly disposition go hand-in-hand * Why this type of collaboration is novel and necessary for forming compassionate communities
Links mentioned in this episode: Widening the Circle of Compassion Course – September 7 – October 5; email deathandgriefworkercollective@gmail.com or Connect on Instagram * Previous interview about The Natural Funeral with Seth Viddal * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporters Marie Sutton and Aviva Engel. Also many thanks to Karessa Torgerson for making a donation through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a book of quotes gathered by a compassionate oncologist from deep conversations with her patients.
My guest Dr. Christina Gomez is a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. She is the author of the book Stopped in My Tracks: A Physician’s Collection of Cancer Patients’ Quotes, which she discusses today. She shares her approach to talking with patients about difficult end of life issues, including referring them to palliative or hospice care and the value of listening deeply to her patients. Learn more at her website:
christinagomezmd.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Why Dr. Gomez started to collect the words of her cancer patients * What it feels like to be the bearer of hard news for patients * Honoring the patient’s choice for how much they want to know about their prognosis * How quickly options are changing for novel cancer treatments and what constitutes “realistic hope” * Why we need to bridge the divide between oncology and palliative care to ensure that patients can access all the care they need and want * The gift of targeted therapies in prolonging life with cancer * How Dr. Gomez avoids giving patients false hope and focuses on what is really possible * Treating the whole person, not just the cancer and why no one “loses the battle” * Learning about the present moment from patients * The retreat Dr. Gomez is hosting October 11-12 for patients, providers, caregivers on the cancer journey
Links mentioned in this episode: Retreat – Stopped in My Tracks: A Weekend of Reflection and Healing – October 11-12, 2024 * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Sue Stuparek for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn all about end-of-life doulas from this comprehensive deep dive into the archives of EOLU Podcast!
This week I’m sharing a new feature: the “Podcast Playlist” which is a topic-focused deep dive into the archives of EOLU. I’ve created several anthologies of episodes that deal with specific subjects that might interest you. This is to make it easier for you to take advantage of the wealth of information available from previous interviews on the podcast. This playlist centers on EOL Doulas and you’ll learn a lot about what doulas do, why they are important, and various types of trainings that are available. You can see the slides for this episode if you watch on YouTube at the link below or you can download a handout of the slides and a list of the presenters:
View slides here
Handout of Presenters
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes: Ep. 228: Suzanne O’Brien RN – https://doulagivers.com * Ep. 177: Felicity Warner – http://www.soulmidwives.co.uk * Ep. 312: Zenith Virago – https://www.naturaldeathcarecentre.org * Ep. 328: Sarah Kerr PhD –https://sacreddeathcare.com * Ep. 199: UVM EOL Doula Professional Certificate (Francesca Arnoldy) – https://learn.uvm.edu/program/end-of-life-doula-certificate/ * Ep. 315: Deanna Cochran RN –https://www.certifiedcaredoula.com * Ep. 455: Alua Arthur –https://goingwithgrace.com * Ep. 341: Olivia Bareham –https://sacredcrossings.com/institute/ * Ep. 242: Merilynne Rush –https://www.thedyingyear.org * Ep. 360: Jo-Anne Haun and Karen Hendrickson – Death Doula Network International – https://ddnint.com * Ep. 441: Diane Button, Gabby Elise Jimenez, and Angela Shook – The Doula Tool Kit: The Complete Practical Guide for End-of-Life Doulas & Caregivers – https://amzn.to/3S9ba6s * Ep. 211: Bodhi Be – Doorway Into Light https://www.doorwayintolight.org/education*
Other links for this show: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
Learn about a guidebook that teaches how to offer appropriate nutrition for a loved one approaching death.
This week I’m welcoming my recurring guest and friend Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. Barbara is the author of Gone From My Sight, “the little blue book” used by hospices around the world to teach families what to expect as their loved one dies. She is also the author ofthe new book Always Offer, Never Force that teaches caregivers about the changing needs for food and nutrition as the body approaches death. We discuss the book and our personal experiences in this informative conversation. Learn more at Barbara’s website:
bkbooks.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How food is a top concern for caregivers when a loved one is nearing death * The body needs food less and less as death approaches * How food represents love for most of us and is tied to our emotions and socialization * Concentrate on high protein and high calorie foods from the time of diagnosis to build up an energy reserve * Having a flexible plan for nutrition during the last months of life can help alleviate stress and tension * How the judgments of others can cause guilt for caregivers around food * Why tube feeding and IV nutrition are not helpful and may be harmful at the end of life
Links mentioned in this episode: Contact information for ordering books from Barbara’s website * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporter Ronda Violi and to Simply Celebrate for buying me 3 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a grief book that combines personal experience with expert advice and a touch of humor.
My guest Dina Gachman is a Pulitzer Center grantee, an award-winning journalist, and a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Texas Monthly, Vox, and more. She wrote her second book So Sorry for Your Loss: How I Learned to Live with Grief and Other Grave Concerns after experiencing two deaths in her family and needing to process and learn more about her own grief. Learn more at her website:
dinagachmanwrites.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What inspired Dina to write this book * Choosing the right therapist for grief counseling * Her family’s experience with hospice and what she wishes she had known * Why they struggled with accepting palliative care earlier in the course of her mother’s illness * “Opening the box” as a tool for initiating end-of-life conversations * How patient and family stories can help us make productive changes in end-of-life care * Tips for bringing food to a grieving friend (and why a bucket of chicken is worth considering) * Ambiguous loss in the face of alcohol and substance abuse * Responses to the book
Links mentioned in this episode: My interview on When You Die Podcast * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Catherine Noble Heart . Also thank you to everyone who has donated through Paypal or bought me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about the importance of sacred rituals and practices at the end of life.
This interview was recorded several years ago with Kitty Edwards, a shamanic practitioner, public speaker, published author and master teacher. She served as the director of The Living and Dying Consciously Project and as the co-founder of The No Regrets Project. Kitty’s passion is to help people explore ways to consciously engage in the dying process, celebrate the accomplishment of navigating the journey to death, and have a greater sense of their own journey to come. DISCLAIMER: As with all interviews in the archives, some links and courses shared may have changed over time and may no longer be available.
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This episode includes:* What it means to “hold space” for others * Shamanic practices to create sacred space * Practices for healthcare providers to get comfortable with death * Why we need to create community for our own end of life * Importance of clearing the energy field for sacred space * Death as a rite of passage * 5 practices for having no regrets
Links for EOLU Podcast: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
Learn about a helpful tool for organizing all your records and files for your later years and your loved ones.
My guest Maria Fraietta is the founder of The Nokbox, which is a complete system that helps you organize all of your accounts, possessions, social media presence, communities, kids, pets, personal history, and estate plans. Maria is a former high school teacher and lives and works as an entrepreneur in Littleton, Colorado. She discusses the importance of being organized and prepared as we look ahead to later life. Learn more at her website:
thenokbox.com
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Maria was inspired to create The Nokbox * Why tools like The Nokbox are essential right now * What happens when people don’t plan ahead * How The Nokbox works and can be customized * Suggestions for getting started organizing records and files for our next of kin * How to update information in The Nokbox over time * Services offered by The Nokbox team and on the website
Links mentioned in this episode: Sage-ing International * “Sneak Peek” of my interview on Michael André Ford’s show * Get a 16% discount on The Nokbox using the coupon code: eolu16 * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporter Jennifer Keenan and to Simply Celebrate for buying me a coffee. Also many thanks to Raven Butterfly for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how this hospice doctor’s important research sheds light on the dreams and visions of the dying and why they are meaningful.
In this interview from the archives of EOLU my guest is Dr. Christopher Kerr who currently practices at Hospice Buffalo in Buffalo, NY. He is conducting a research project on the dreams and visions of his patients as they near death. You’ll hear the results of his ongoing project. Since this interview aired initially Dr. Kerr has written and published the book Death is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life’s End. Learn more at his website:
drchristopherkerr.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The difference between delirium and deathbed visions * How he conducts his research project * Results of his research * The nature of the dreams experienced by his patients * What he has learned from this work * How this work is helping to inform medical professionals about the end-of-life experiences of their patients
Links mentioned in this episode: Dr. Kerr’s TEDtalk*
Learn more about the continuing bonds theory and various ways it is beneficial for grievers.
This special episode is a follow-up to the previous interview with Dina Stander about the phone of the wind. I’ll take a closer look at the Continuing Bonds theory of grief to see how using a wind phone might actually be helpful for grief. I’ll share excerpts from previous guests who talked about important aspects of continuing bonds. Listen to the previous episode here:
The Phone of the Wind
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What is the Continuing Bonds theory * Examples of continuing bonds mentioned by previous guests Terri Daniel, Gary Wederspahn, Joe Primo and Danielle MacKinnon * How to maintain continuing bonds * Summary of continuing bonds * How the wind phone helps with continuing bonds * Why not everyone wants to maintain continuing bonds with a deceased loved one * Quotes from grievers who found the wind phone helpful
Links mentioned in this episode: Litsa Williams blog on What’s Your Grief * Terri Daniel interview on EOLU Podcast – continuing bonds * Gary Wederspahn interview on EOLU Podcast – continuing bonds with ancestors * Joe Primo interview on EOLU Podcast – children and funerals * Danielle MacKinnon interview on EOLU Podcast – continuing bonds with animal companions * Tips for continuing bonds – Litsa Williams * Eleanor Haley blog on continuing bonds * Quotes about wind phones * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Jennifer Keenan. Also thank you to everyone who has donated through Paypal or bought me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how the “phone of the wind” can help us establish continuing bonds with our loved ones who have died.
My guest Dina Stander is an end-of-life navigator, funeral celebrant and burial shroud maker. She is also the founder of the Northeast Death Care Collaborative, an author and a propagator of phones of the wind, which she discusses today. Learn more at her website:
dinastander.com
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Dina’s life experiences led her to the varied work she is doing now * The need for specialized death resources for disabled people * Why Dina’s shroud-making services use “up-cycled” fabrics for shrouds * The history behind the Phone of the Wind * How Dina shares the Phone of the Wind with others * How to locate a Phone of the Wind near you * What type of phone is best to use * How the phone of the wind allows for expression of all emotions, including anger * Why a wind phone could be part of a compassionate community * The many settings that could benefit from the presence of a wind phone
Links mentioned in this episode: Last Dance Shrouds * Find a wind phone near you: Mywindphone.com * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to Annie Valdez for buying me 5 coffees! Also many thanks to Thilda Zorn for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
In case you missed last week’s podcast episode I’m sharing this post with you now so you’ll be aware of changes in the EOLU Podcast schedule. Because of some issues with my health I am cutting back on the number of episodes I release each month, which is why there is no new episode this week.
It’s actually hard for me to make this change because I have been broadcasting weekly for several years now and I’m dedicated to being consistent. But life is directing me differently right now and I have to accept that. If you want to know more about my health you can listen to the latest episode on What Really Matters Podcast where I share more personal information than I normally do here on EOLU. You might enjoy some of the other episodes there too!
For now, I’ve uploaded an old interview from the archives on my YouTube Channel – Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Near-Death Experience with Eben Alexander MD. I encourage you to follow the link and listen to this fascinating interview. While you’re there check out some of the other content and be sure to subscribe to the channel.
During weeks when there’s no new episode on EOLU you can go back through the Archives and listen to interviews you’ve missed. There’s a wealth of material here!
Thanks for all your support and encouragement as I enter a new phase on my own journey – I appreciate your understanding.
Learn how two creators each facing serious illness came together to produce an award-winning masterpiece.
My guests Christina Holbrook and Walker Vreeland are joining me today to talk about their personal stories of serious illness and facing mortality in the midst of working on a creative project. Numerous synchronicities and little miracles came together to make possible the publication of Christina’s novel and audiobook All the Flowers of the Mountain after she was diagnosed with glioblastoma. Each of us has been inspired and transformed through the process of getting this book out into the world during a time of uncertainty. Learn more at these websites:
christinaholbrook.com
walkervreelandproductions.com
YouTube Channel
Get the book and audiobook
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Christina, Walker and I all came together to work on her novel and audiobook * How Christina and Walker are both facing their mortality every day * How creativity can help overcome the isolation of serious illness * Finding meaning for life by bringing a project to the world that will outlive us * Facing mortality forces us to think about what really matters in life * Why tragedy may be necessary in order to become death-aware * Making peace of mind more important than survival * Love finds a way, even against tremendous odds
Links mentioned in this episode: Register for Foundations of Compassionate Communities Course (Free) * What Really Matters – Everyday Spirituality Podcast * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Kris Kington-Barker. Also thank you to everyone who has donated through Paypal or bought me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a senior living community that is bringing end-of-life doula training to residents, thanks to the efforts of its chaplain.
My guest Tom Waknitz is a chaplain and end-of-life doula who is working with Walker Methodist Senior Living Community to establish a unique end-of-life program for residents called Passages. He is certified by INELDA and is currently earning a Master of Divinity Degree. After serving his first year as an end-of-life doula, Tom shares his innovative ideas for serving people and their families in transition at the end of life. Learn more about Passages and Tom’s coaching services at these websites:
walkermethodist.org
onemtl.org
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Tom’s journey from a career in technology to becoming a chaplain and end-of-life doula * Tom’s role as a chaplain and doula in a senior living community * Why Tom decided to bring INELDA training to the residents of this community and how it can serve as a model for others * The power of guided imagery and “familial stories” * Facilitating end-of-life conversations with residents and family members * What Tom learned in his first year as an end-of-life doula * The power of the intentional pause * Why changes in the end-of-life field must be sustainable
Links mentioned in this episode: Register for Foundations of Compassionate Communities Course (Free) * Tom’s blog post: “Reflections on my First Year as a Spiritual Care Provider & End-of-Life Doula” * Learn more about INELDA * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a powerful NY Times bestselling memoir that teaches how acknowledging our mortality helps us live a more authentic life.
My guest Alua Arthur is the founder of Going With Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. She is a frequent guest on television and radio and has been featured on CBS’s The Doctors and in Disney’s Limitless docu-series with Chris Hemsworth. Alua is the author of the recently published NY Times bestseller Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End. She shares her story of how she was inspired to learn more about death and teach others how to live fully in the face of our mortality. Learn more at Alua’s website:
goingwithgrace.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The value of authenticity in memoir-writing * How life prepares us for the work we are meant to do * How a single conversation shifted the path of Alua’s life * What inspired Alua to get training as a death doula * Creating better boundaries as we do this work with people at the end of life * Compassion allows us to honor another person’s journey without trying to control it * How death doula work can be financially viable * Why education of the public is an essential foundation for the work we are doing * How the “death-space” is welcoming to diverse people with a wide variety of skills
Links mentioned in this episode: Register for Foundations of Compassionate Communities Course (Free) * Previous interview with Olivia Bareham * Limitless* with Chris Hemsworth on Disney + * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Sara Badano. Also thank you to Karen Shapiro for donating through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about an innovative model for compassionate end-of-life care that meets the needs of individuals and communities.
My guest Dr. Bob Uslander is the co-founder, with his wife Elizabeth, of Empowered Endings, a unique palliative and end-of-life care model addressing the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs of patients and families. He discusses the flexible model of care he created and how it functions to assist people who don’t qualify for hospice as well as those who are receiving hospice care but need additional services. Learn more at his website:
empoweredendings.com
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Dr. Bob’s journey from emergency medicine to hospice and palliative care * How recognizing gaps in the healthcare system inspired the work Dr. Bob is doing today * The importance of end-of-life doulas for restoring balance to the care that is offered to people * The types of patients served by Empowered Endings * How his team supports patients utilizing medical aid in dying * The lack of home-based palliative care is an issue in most communities * Concerns that some doctors may not offer adequate support to patients and families choosing medical aid in dying * How his foundation offers free bereavement support to families of loved ones who have utilized medical aid in dying
Links mentioned in this episode: NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Beth. Also thank you to Marie Nelson and Laura Lee for donating through Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about Rosie Grant’s unique project to memorialize those who have died by cooking their special recipes.
My guest Rosie Grant has a library science degree from the University of Maryland and now works at UCLA as an archivist. She is well known on social media as a “cemetery tiktoker” who researches recipes found on gravestones in cemeteries across the U.S. She shares her story and how she began to collect these gravestone recipes and cook them to honor the people who left them behind. We also discuss the value of exploring cemeteries and the treasures that can be found there. Learn more at her website and social media sites:
ghostlyarchive.com
Instagram: @ghostlyarchive
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Rosie got interested in gathering gravestone recipes * The benefits of visiting cemeteries as part of travel * Rosie’s inspiration to visit the gravestones she has learned about and to prepare the recipes she has found there * How food is connected to death and grief * How Rosie finds gravestone recipes to cook * Other interesting cemetery discoveries Rosie has made * Talking about gravestone recipes is a less threatening way to approach the subject of death and dying * How she finds gravestones that contain recipes
Links mentioned in this episode: Keen Class with Mary McLaughlin; Previous episode * Book recommendation: The Sweetest Therapy* by Chase Cassine * Showmen’s Rest Cemetery * “City of Souls” – town of Colma CA * Find a Grave * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how planning ahead for after-death care can help loved ones with grief and loss.
My guest Jokotifa Alaye is a licensed funeral professional and NEDA certified end-of-life doula with a focus on grief. She created Mourning Space to fill the gaps in education and support that society requires for healthy grieving. She discusses the importance of funeral planning as a gift for loved ones, finding a funeral director or celebrant who can help carry out your wishes, and how to foster empowered grieving. Learn more at her website:
mourningspace.com
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Jokotifa’s path to becoming a funeral director and death doula * Why she focuses on empowered grieving through Mourning Space * Why deathcare providers need better training about grief * Why rituals at the end of life are important * What to do if a loved one refuses a funeral * How and why to plan your own funeral in advance * Each state and country has unique laws about funerals and disposition * What hospice providers should know about the removal process to support the family after death * How to have conversations with loved ones about funeral preferences
Links mentioned in this episode: Get the Death Deck here * Book recommendations: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion; Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave and Sean O’Hagan * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how a physician creatively meets the needs of patients who don’t qualify for hospice services.
My guest Dr. Kaishauna Guidry is an author, podcaster, healthcare advocate, mentor and educator. She came to medicine and hospice later in her career and founded Mourning Dove Medical as a private mobile medical practice, serving home-bound patients at the late stages of life and she is the author of The Real Deal About Hospice: Short Stories Highlighting the Advantages of Hospice Care for Patients and Families. She discusses her path to this work, her books and podcast, and how she coaches physicians who want to begin working with hospice. Learn more about her work at her website:
mourningdovemedical.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes: Why Dr. G started a mobile medical practice * Why some patients get discharged from hospice * How Dr. G provides continuity of care for people who no longer qualify for hospice care * How she guides people who are “pre-hospice” to do advance care planning and to be prepared for hospice when the timing is right * How Dr. G educates physicians about working with hospice and palliative care * What the book The Real Deal About Hospice* teaches patients and their families * Why we still need more education about hospice for the general public and the medical community * What is the “hospice lifestyle”
Links mentioned in this episode: Get the Audiobook for All the Flowers of the Mountain here * Book: Dr. G’s H.O.S.P.I.C.E. Pocket Guide * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors James Reinders, Karen, and Susan Wright. Also thank you to Frederick Marx for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a movement with a goal to train 1 million death doulas around the world.
My guest Suzanne O’Brien RN is the founder and CEO of Doulagivers Institute and a pioneer in the global death doula movement. She was awarded Worldwide Leader in Healthcare by the International Nurse Association and named Humanitarian Ambassador for Oprah Magazine in 2019. She discusses her experiences bringing death doula trainings to an international audience and her goal to train 1 million people to be death doulas. Learn more at her website:
doulagivers.com
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Suzanne ended up becoming a hospice nurse and then creating Doulagivers Institute * Following intuition to find our path * Gaps that exist in hospice care, including that families don’t receive training for caring for a loved one * Why we need the Good Death Campaign to train 1 million people as death doulas * The benefits of having a “roadmap” for the end of life * How Death Doula World Training Day will benefit the end-of-life movement in Guatemala * What Suzanne learned about life and death on a trip to Zimbabwe * The greatest lesson Suzanne has learned from working with the dying * There’s a huge need for death doulas now and in the future * The need for death doulas to do community education
Links mentioned in this episode: NEW! Additional Live screening and discussion for documentary film The Last Ecstatic Days. Register here. * Find other screening dates for The Last Ecstatic Days here * Register for Death Doula World Training Day – April 18th at 7 pm Eastern * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and thank you to Påivi Vallo for your donation on Paypal. Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about an informative and inspirational book to help seniors find love in their lives after experiencing loss through death or divorce.
My special guests this week, Drs. Gloria Horsley and Frank Powers, are a senior couple who met later in life, after experiencing loss. Gloria is a marriage and family therapist and Frank is a psychologist so between them they possess a lot of knowledge about grief, loss and relationships, including the deadly impact of loneliness on seniors in our society. Together they’ve written the book Open to Love: The Secrets of Senior Dating, which springs from their own experience of meeting and falling in love through a senior dating app. They share their tips and suggestions for seniors looking for love and facing the challenge of dating after a long-term relationship. Learn more at their websites:
opentohope.com
goldendatingdoctors.com
Get the book
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The value of senior dating for alleviating loneliness and isolation in later life * What seniors need to know about the current dating world * Tips for trying an online dating app for the first time * The most important qualities to look for in a later life partner * Advice for later life partners whose children are not supportive of their new relationship * How seniors in a new relationship might discuss difficult issues such as finances, caregiving expectations and end-of-life preparations * What senior couples should consider before deciding whether or not to marry
Links mentioned in this episode: NEW! Additional Live screening and discussion for documentary film The Last Ecstatic Days. Register here. * Find other screening dates for The Last Ecstatic Days here * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and thank you to Leslie for buying me a coffee and everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how the concept of human-centered design can improve how we care for people at end of life and also how we operate our businesses.
My guest Isabel Knight is a human-centered designer and end-of-life guide who founded The Death Designer to provide design services for deathcare businesses and non-profits. She is also the president of the National Home Funeral Alliance, which teaches people about community deathcare and how to conduct a funeral from home. She discusses her work as an end-of-life guide, home funerals, and the concept of human-centered design. Learn more at these websites:
thedeathdesigner.com
homefuneralalliance.org
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What the National Home Funeral Alliance provides * Why home funerals are important * How funeral homes can help support community deathcare * What is human-centered design and why it’s important * The power of simple small changes to make a difference * Designing products and systems for the needs of the most vulnerable people benefits everyone * Challenges facing end-of-life care from the perspective of a young person * The need for a business model for death doulas * Potential changes coming to the “Funeral Rule” to increase transparency around funeral home prices
Links mentioned in this episode: NEW! Additional Live screening and discussion for documentary film The Last Ecstatic Days. Register here. * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Kelly G. and Yuka Itahashi. Also thank you to Pradeep Berry and Kathleen Lynch for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a powerful international model that calls for a public health approach to end-of-life care and how we are championing it in the U.S.
This week I am hosting three guests who are my collaborators in a “think tank” on the Compassionate Communities Model: Elizabeth Johnson and Erin Collins of The Peaceful Presence Project and Qwynn Galloway-Salazar, creator of the Caring for Veterans Through the End-of-Life Series. We discuss the need for a Compassionate Communities approach to end-of-life care here in the U.S. and offer resources and ideas for spreading this model throughout the country. Learn more at:
compassionatecommunities.us
View handout below or download here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes: How the four of us came together as a “think tank” * What is a Compassionate Community * Brief history of the compassionate community model * How this model could benefit end-of-life care in the U.S. in general * How the compassionate community approach can help us address specific issues: community death education (especially in rural areas), veteran care, caregiver crisis * “End-of-Life Friendly Criteria” as a simple tool to assess and map our communities * Public Health Palliative Care International (PHPCI) as a resource * FREE presentation on Compassionate Communities Model* available May 1, 2024 (email with May 1st in the subject line: info@thepeacefulpresenceproject.org)
Links mentioned in this episode: Virtual Screening for The Last Ecstatic Days – March 24th 4 PM Pacific (Hosted by Karen Wyatt MD) – register here * Register for Q&A Session with Star Bradbury about her book “Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years” at: https://bit.ly/starbradbury * Get on the mailing list for the Compassionate Communities Model Presentation! Send an email to info@thepeacefulpresenceproject.org with May 1st in the subject line and you will be notified when it is available. * PHPCI: https://www.phpci.org * Previous interview with Dr. Libby Sallnow * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Penny Amyot and Amy Wilson. Also thank you to Anonymous for buying me a cup of coffee, Paullette MacDougal for sending a donation by mail and to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about THE LAST ECSTATIC DAYS, a film about a young man with brain cancer in search of community, and the hospice doctor who gives up everything to honor his dying wish.
My guest Dr. Aditi Sethi-Brown is a hospice and palliative care physician, end-of-life doula, and musician. She is the founder and executive director of the Center for Conscious Living and Dying and an emerging and important voice for shifting our cultures understanding and approach to dying, death, and bereavement care. She discusses the documentary film The Last Ecstatic Days, which features her work with a very special patient at the end of his life. Learn more at the following websites:
aditisethimd.com
ccld.community
thelastecstaticdaysmovie.com
Register for screening
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes: Ethan Sisser’s journey and how Aditi came to work with him * What inspired the making of The Last Ecstatic Days * How Ethan served as a teacher for others during his life and in his dying process * How Ethan called together a community of people willing to help care for him as he was dying * The power of social media that Ethan harnessed throughout his journey after his diagnosis * How Aditi was inspired to start the Center for Conscious Living and Dying after caring for Ethan * The upcoming screenings for the film and how to register*
Links mentioned in this episode: Virtual Screening for The Last Ecstatic Days – March 24th 4 PM Pacific (Hosted by Karen Wyatt MD) – register here * Register for Q&A Session with Star Bradbury about her book “Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years” at: https://bit.ly/starbradbury * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Amy Morgan. Also thank you to Dawn Briskey for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
THE LAST ECSTATIC DAYS is a film about a young man with brain cancer in search of community, and the hospice doctor who gives up everything to honor his dying wish.
To learn more…
Visit the film’s website: www.thelastecstaticdaysmovie.com
Subscribe to THE LAST ECSTATIC DAYS on YouTube: http://tiny.cc/TheLastEcstaticDaysSub
Follow THE LAST ECSTATIC DAYS on Instagram: https://bit.ly/TheLastEcstaticDays-IG
Like THE LAST ECSTATIC DAYS on Facebook: https://bit.ly/TheLastEcstaticDays-FB
Virtual Screening with Karen Wyatt MDMarch 24th 4 PM Pacific
REGISTER HERE
Learn about grief from the perspective of two hospice providers on their personal experiences of loss.
This week I’m happy to be speaking once again to my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. Barbara is the author of “the little blue book” used by hospices around the world to teach families what to expect as their loved one dies. She is also the author of My Friend, I Care, a book about grief that she designed to be used as a sympathy card. She discusses the bereavement support that is a required benefit of hospice care and we delve deeply into our own grief experiences and what we learned from them. Learn more about Barbara’s work at her website:
bkbooks.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What hospices are required to provide for bereavement care * Why grievers may not attend bereavement groups offered by hospices * How hospice volunteers can be helpful with bereavement * Why some grievers may prefer more solitude and less interaction with others in the early days after a death * Learning how to live without a loved one who has died is the ongoing work of grief * The grief we learned about in textbooks is not the same as the real experience of deep grief * Why support groups may be more helpful later in the grief process * Anticipatory grief that occurs from the moment of diagnosis * Journaling as a tool for grieving * How our grief experiences can be sacred to us
Links mentioned in this episode: Sign up for Help Texts to get grief support as an individual or an organization * Toby Keith video * Previous interview with Mary Francis O’Connor on The Grieving Brain * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypa*l
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Jenny and Kristine. Also thank you to Jean for buying me a coffee and everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about contemplative practices for medical providers offered by the NY Zen Center for Contemplative Care.
My guest Koshin Paley Ellison is an author, Zen teacher, and Jungian psychotherapist. He co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, which offers contemplative approaches to care through education, personal caregiving, and Zen practice. Koshin is also the co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care. He discusses his work with people who are dying and grieving and the life lessons he has learned. For more information visit the website:
zencare.org
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes: Awake at the Bedside* as a tool for caregivers and death professionals * Lessons learned during the AIDS epidemic * Koshin’s experience caring for his grandmother at the end of her life * The importance of curiosity in life and at the end of it * The lack of contemplative practice in Western medicine * Daily question: Am I actually living according to my values? * NY Zen Center’s Contemplative Medicine Fellowship * The importance of understand suffering and how to be with it * How the mystery of life is actually part of the medicine of life
Links mentioned in this episode: NY Zen Center’s Contemplative Medicine Fellowship * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Michelle Wickum and Robin Bissell. Also thank you to everyone who has bought me a coffee or joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how an innovative curriculum is tackling loneliness and social isolation in older adults and bridging the generation gap.
My guest Dr. Jeremy Holloway is Assistant Professor and Director of Geriatric Education at the University of North Dakota. He discusses his research which focuses on the social determinants of health, specifically self-efficacy, connectedness, and resiliency of older adults. Dr. Holloway will share information about the intergenerational curriculum he created, called Tellegacy, that helps combat the social isolation and loneliness of older adults. Learn more at these websites:
jeremyholloway.com
tellegacy.org
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What inspired Jeremy to focus on older adults in his work * The impact of loneliness and social isolation on public health * How the Tellegacy curriculum bridges the generation gap and enhances the lives of older adults * The value of Tellegacy for preparing healthcare students to care for older adults in the future * How the Tellegacy program has evolved since its inception * Tools and activities used in Tellegacy to contribute to the well-being of older adults * Stories from the students and older adults participating in Tellegacy * How Tellegacy can also be used for healthcare staffs and other individuals * How the program has been adopted by nursing homes, Meals on Wheels and health insurance companies * How to get involved with and support Tellegacy
Links mentioned in this episode: Email Jeremy for more information: Jeremy.Holloway@tellegacy.org * Buy a ticket for the Film Premiere for Architecture of Death * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Megan Baird, Alida Merrill, and Lynn Wittenberg. Also thank you to everyone who has bought me a coffee or joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a trilogy of documentary films that inform and inspire conversations about death, dying and the afterlife.
My guest Johanna Lunn is an award-winning producer, director, and writer, who has crafted many compelling, entertaining, and profoundly thought-provoking programs during her 20+ years in the business. She is the director and producer of the When You Die Documentary Trilogy. Johanna discusses how she founded WhenYouDie.org to foster awareness about death by curating many voices to share their stories–from palliative care clinicians, death doulas and the bereaved, to poets, comedians, and artists. Learn more at the website:
whenyoudie.org
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What inspired Johanna to create this series of films * How she gathered the speakers she interviewed for each film * Why we need to look ahead to create something new rather than relying on what has worked in the past * The need for both a “curing team” and a “healing team” * What Johanna has learned about death, dying and the afterlife from creating the When You Die Project * Who can benefit from these films and her long term goals for them * How to watch and share these three documentaries with others
Links mentioned in this episode: Buy a ticket for the Film Premiere for Architecture of Death on Feb. 24th * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Jane Whitlock, Robin Mallor, Carla Wheeler, and 4Brigid. Also thank you to Dana Tuttle for buying me 3 coffees and Lisa Creeden for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a helpful new tool kit that’s not just for end-of-life doulas but can benefit anyone who cares for others at the end of life.
My three guests this week, Diane Button, Gabby Elise Jimenez, and Angela Shook, are all end-of-life doulas who have teamed up to create a helpful guidebook for other doulas: The Doula Tool Kit: The Complete Practical Guide for End-of-Life Doulas and Caregivers. We’ll learn all about the book and how this trio came together to write it. Plus they’ll share some of their tips for doulas and what motivates them to do this work. Learn more at their websites:
DianeButton.com
thehospiceheart.net
AngelaShook.com
Get the book here
YouTube Channel
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How these three doulas connected to collaborate on this project * Why a “doula took kit” is needed right now for new doulas after training * What’s included in the book * Who can benefit from the contents of the book * The power of collaboration and why we need more of it in the end-of-life field * Why the book is not just for doulas but also for lay people and family caregivers * Why some doulas for humans may also want to get training as companion animal doulas
Links mentioned in this episode: NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Jan Booth and to Linda Read for increasing your pledge. Also thank you to everyone who has bought me a coffee or joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Enjoy this deep and soulful conversation with “The Griefwalker” Stephen Jenkinson.
My guest Stephen Jenkinson is the author of the award-winning book Die Wise: A Manifesto for Sanity and Soul and the creator and principal instructor of the Orphan Wisdom School. He discusses the Nights of Grief and Mystery project, which he created with singer/songwriter Gregory Hoskins, and how they have been touring the world with this profound musical and storytelling show. Stephen shares his thoughts on the crises of our contemporary society and how to proceed in the midst of our deep sorrow. Learn more about Stephen’s work at his website:
orphanwisdom.com
Get Stephen’s book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Stephen views his “audience” as allies * Tips for being fully present during performances on tour * A reading of the Invocation from the show * “Rage is what you do when you don’t know how to have a broken heart” * Why happiness is a by-product of living life a certain way, not a goal of life * Why age + experience does not add up to wisdom * How the second half of life differs from the first (and what to do about it) * “Crisis” literally means the place where the roads cross and a choice must be made * Why Stephen says hope doesn’t belong in a time such as ours
Links mentioned in this episode: Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how hospice chaplains can offer support to people who choose medical aid in dying.
My guest Dr. Terri Daniel is an inter-spiritual hospice chaplain, end-of-life educator, and grief counselor, who is the author of four books on death, grief and the afterlife, and a frequent guest on the podcast. Today Terri and I talk about medical aid in dying from a chaplain’s perspective and she discusses her experiences working for a hospice in Oregon that provides support for MAID. Learn more about Terri’s work at her website:
danieldirect.net
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The history of medical aid in dying in Oregon * How EOLCOR (End-of-Life Choices Oregon) assists people who want to utilize medical aid in dying * The wide variations in hospice policies around medical aid in dying * Dilemmas around communicating with family members who don’t support MAID * How MAID differs from suicide and why we need to understand that difference * A beautiful end-of-life ritual Terri created for a person utilizing MAID * Why some chaplains feel conflicted about supporting medical aid in dying * Religious objections to MAID * The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about MAID in some hospices * Dementia directive for advance care planning
Links mentioned in this episode: Death and Grief Worker Collective on Instagram * Casting Call for new docuseries on grief; email GriefShowCasting@gmail.com if you are interested in participating * Register for Workshop with Francesca Lynn Arnoldy on January 30th * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * Previous interview with Terri Daniel * Dementia Advance Directive Tool from Compassion and Choices * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Kathleen Behrens. Also thank you to Tom Waknitz and Carew Papritz for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn tips for choosing the best hospice and asking all the right questions.
This week I welcome back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, speaker, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care. She is the author of ‘the little blue hospice book, Gone from My Sight and the recently published By Your Side: A Guide for Caring for the Dying at Home. Today we discuss why we hope people will choose hospice for care at the end of life and how to choose the right hospice for their loved one. Learn more about Barbara’s work at her website:
www.bkbooks.com
Get the book here.
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Why we need to do our own research on hospices that are available to us * How Medicare-certified hospices can differ from one another * The importance of having a primary nurse assigned to each hospice patient * Why you need to ask about the availability of inpatient care for private pay * Understand that families have to provide the 24/7 care at home * Ask how often visits will occur and how long each visit will last * Ask if staff members prioritize being there at the time of death * Find out how quickly first visit will occur * Don’t just go with the hospice recommended by the hospital discharge planner * Ask about the quality of bereavement support offered
Links mentioned in this episode: Casting Call for new docuseries on grief; email GriefShowCasting@gmail.com if you are interested in participating * Register for Workshop with Francesca Lynn Arnoldy on January 30th * NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving * FREE Doulagivers Level 1 Training for EOL Family Caregivers * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Deborah Laukaitis. Also thank you to Dana Tuttle for buying me a coffee and to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn what it actually means to “hold space” for others during times of challenge.
My guest Amy Wright Glenn is a Kripalu Yoga teacher, birth and death doula, hospital chaplain, and prenatal yoga and wellness instructor. She is the founder of the Institute for the study of Birth, Breath, and Death, known for its teacher training programs. Amy is the author of the book Holding Space: On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go, which she discusses today. Amy shares what it means to hold space and how we learn to practice that. Learn more at her website:
www.birthbreathanddeath.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Amy came to create the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath and Death * How birth and death are connected * What it means to “hold space” for others * Practices for learning how to hold space * The “companioning model” of grief support * How to hold space for pregnancy loss * Training course for facilitators of pregnancy loss support groups
Links mentioned in this episode: Listen to the BONUS recording on Casting Call for the Grief Docuseries here and email Kim Clevenger at GriefShowCasting@gmail.com if you are interested! * Register for Workshop with Francesca Lynn Arnoldy on January 30th * FREE Doulagivers Level 1 Training for EOL Family Caregivers * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Marian Folkemer, Monica Czaplinski, Jan Wiebking, Neo Sakurai, Chrissi Guerin, Donna Fleming and to Joy and Suzanne for increasing your pledges. Also thank you to Sam Cash, Mark Langlois and “Someone” for buying me coffees and to Shannon Tolson, Sylvia Sigurdson, Jeya Venugopalakrishnan, Leslie Morgan and Laura Srygley for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
In this special brief episode I’m bringing you an invitation from casting director Kim Clevenger to contact her about appearing in a new docuseries on grief and loss. She is looking for people experiencing grief over any type of loss who are willing to share their journey with others in this series. In the recording she explains a bit about the show and what it will consist of. If you’re interested contact Kim at the email address below and send your full name, photo, story, and contact information.
GriefShowCasting@gmail.com
Listen here:
Find out what you may have missed in 2023 if you haven’t listened to every episode!
In this solo episode I recap some of the episodes of this podcast that had the greatest impact on me personally and professionally! All of the interviews from 2023 were fantastic but if you missed any of these be sure to take a listen! Thanks for your support this year! Looking forward to another amazing year – be sure to subscribe and leave a rating and review if you enjoy this content.
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MANY BLESSINGS TO YOU AND YOUR BELOVEDS!
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
Links mentioned in this episode: Ep. 385. Shifting the Culture Around End of Life with Tracy Wheeler * Ep. 389. Virtual Reality as an EOL Tool with Gregory Roufa and Lama Karma * Ep. 393. EOL Care for People with Dementia with Barbara Karnes RN * Ep. 395. Conscious Dying, Dreamwork and Death Doulas with Wilka Roig * Ep. 400. The Value of Death: Lancet Report with Dr. Libby Sallnow * Ep. 408. Support for Widowed People with Michele Neff Hernandez * Ep. 411. The Four Things that Matter Most with Dr. Ira Byock * Ep. 415. EOL Care for Children and Families with Toula Saratsis * Ep. 419. Humane Prison Hospice Project with Lisa Deal & Fernando Murillo * Ep. 421. Caring for Veterans Through End of Life with Qwynn Galloway-Salazar * Ep. 424. Implicit Bias in End-of-Life Care with Dr. Kimberly Curseen * Ep. 426. Dear Brandon with Krystina Christiansen & Brenna Brooks*
Learn how to create a home funeral ceremony that can honor and celebrate the life of a loved one.
My guest for this interview from the archives is Jerrigrace Lyons, founder of Final Passages, where she offers training for death doulas and home funeral guides. She shares the beauty of a home funeral and describes step-by-step how to honor a loved one with a private, intimate ceremony after death. Learn more at her website:
www.finalpassages.org
Hear the original interview and see the slides at this link: https://InstantTeleseminar.com/Events/89192217
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How the home funeral movement is changing our societal perception of death and after-death care * Why home funerals are powerful * The beautiful rituals that can be created economically for a home funeral * How to go about creating a home funeral
Links mentioned in this episode: National Home Funeral Alliance * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how celebrants co-create ceremonies to help people navigate the milestones of life.
My guest for this interview from the archives is Charlotte Eulette is the International Director of the non-profit educational organization Celebrant Foundation and Institute. The foundation certifies and trains people to become ritual experts who create ceremonies to mark milestones in life. Charlotte discusses the importance of these rituals for ourselves and our communities and how to become a celebrant. Learn more at the website:
www.celebrantinstitute.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What is a life-cycle celebrant and what do they do * How the modern celebrant movement got started * Honoring the culture and beliefs of the participants in ceremonies * Why ceremonies and rituals are important for everyone with or without religious affiliation * How rituals can make a difference for grievers * Alternatives when a loved one doesn’t want a funeral * How celebrants can be helpful in healthcare settings * What training is required to become a celebrant * Why “closure” is not a helpful concept at times of loss and change
Links mentioned in this episode: Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a unique medical practice that focuses on end-of-life issues for patients including medical aid in dying.
My guest Dr. Bob Uslander is an emergency medicine physician whose career evolved toward caring for the elderly and those facing the end of their lives. He created a novel approach to end-of-life care called Empowered Endings with his wife Elizabeth, a spiritual counselor and medical social worker, to ensure that patients and their loved ones have their decisions, goals and dignity honored at the end of life. Dr. Bob shares his experiences and thoughts around providing support for patients who choose to use Medical Aid in Dying. Learn more at his website:
www.empoweredendings.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Dr. Bob got interested in working with patients at the end of life * The significant gaps that currently exist in palliative and end-of-life care for patients * Why his practice focuses on holistic care for both patients and their families * How Empowered Endings works along with hospice and fills in the gaps when hospice cannot provide care * The need for physicians to support patients who choose to use MAID * Why MAID providers should have some special training in this area in order to properly support patients and their families * What it’s like as a physician to provide medical support for patients choosing MAID * Advice for other physicians who may be considering supporting MAID
Links mentioned in this episode: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how this animal communicator connects with animals before and after death and the lessons we can learn from our animal companions.
My guest Danielle MacKinnon is an animal communicator who has been connecting intuitively with animals and pets for all of her life. She shares her experiences learning from animals and discovering that they are some of our best teachers for our own lives, even after they have died. She teaches others how to develop their own innate ability to communicate with their pets and discusses how to understand what our pets want us to know about the role they play in our lives and how to deal with our grief after they have died. Learn more about her work at her website:
www.daniellemackinnon.com
Get the book
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Danielle discovered her talent for animal communication * Why our pet’s “problems” are really a reflection of our own issues * How pets try to help us learn about and improve our own lives * The “soul contracts” we have with our pets and other animals * How to cope with grief over the death of an animal companion * Animals have their own timeline for life
Links mentioned in this episode: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a service to create a beautiful “coffee table book” to preserve the cherished stories of a loved one.
My guest Andrew Hall is the co-founder of “No Story Lost” – a service to help families capture their loved one’s stories and photos into a beautiful print memoir book. He’ll discuss the value of preserving memories, both before and after death, and how he and his cousin decided to create a business helping people do that. Learn more at the website:
https://nostorylost.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How No Story Lost gathers and preserves stories for their clients * Why our stories and memories matter when we want to leave a legacy for others * How memorial projects have benefitted families as they grieve the death of a loved one * The significance of “memento mori” and how it informs Andrew’s work * How legacy and memorial projects help people find meaning at the end of life * How transformation and healing might occur through the process of creating a memorial book
Links mentioned in this episode: Andrew’s recommended book on Stoicism * Blog post on regrets at the end of life * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest supporter Akhila Murphy and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign including Stacy Ann Bussy! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a project to train organizations and employers to provide better support for their employees who are grieving.
This week I’m hosting two guests who have teamed up to address the issue of bereavement in the workplace. Mekel Harris PhD is a licensed psychologist who specializes in coping and adjustment to acute and chronic illness, grief and loss, and health-related trauma. She is the author of the memoir Relaxing Into the Pain: My Journey Into Grief & Beyond along with The Grief Anatomy Toolkit and Re-Imagining Life After Loss interactive course. Janet Gwilliam-Wright is a leader in the grief and loss space who founded the Motherlove Project, a global platform for motherless daughters. Janet has 15 years experience leading large organizational change and working on complex issues. Together Mekel and Janet have created Bloomwell to teach organizations and managers to support employees navigating grief and loss. Learn more at the following websites:
growwithbloomwell.com
mekelharrisphd.com
motherloveproject.com
Get Mekel’s book
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Mekel and Janet came to focus on grief in their professional lives * How grief is not adequately addressed in the workplace in our society * The struggle workers face when being required to return to work shortly after the death of a loved one * How employers can create a better culture in the workplace * What to do to help a grieving co-worker * Bloomwell’s framework for managing grief in the workplace * The training offered by Bloomwell including the physical, emotional, and spiritual impact of grief * Why education alone doesn’t lead to behavioral change * The importance of creating a sense of belonging for people who are grieving * How workplace culture around grief starts at the top
Links mentioned in this episode: Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how to bust through several common myths about hospice care that persist in our society.
My recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN is back again in this episode to talk about the myths that still persist in our society around hospice care. She shares her own journey of grief after the recent death of her dear husband and how our emotions can change our ability to see what may be right in front of us. We cover the most common myths we’ve encountered from our years of talking about hospice with the general public and what we can do to overcome them. Barbara is the author of the “little blue hospice book” Gone from My Sight and By Your Side: A Guide for Caring for the Dying at Home. Learn more at her website:
www.bkbooks.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How emotions can impact our experiences with hospice * Myths about hospice that involve medication management and fears of over-medicating pain * Myths that some doctors have about hospice including that it causes people to lose hope and that it’s only appropriate a few hours or days before death * Myths about what hospice is, where it is located and how care is provided and paid for * Why myths like these are harmful to patients * Why we need to get a clear message across about the benefits of hospice
Links mentioned in this episode: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about Lewy Body Dementia, why it is difficult to diagnose, and the special challenges faced by caregivers.
My guest Mary Lou Falcone has been an advocate for Lewy body dementia awareness since her dear husband Nicky Zann died of the disease in 2020. Mary Lou is internationally known as a classical music publicist who has guided the careers of many celebrated artists such as Van Cliburn, Renée Fleming, and James Taylor. Her communication and strategy skills make her well-suited to be an ambassador for LBD awareness and she is committed to sharing her experience and factual information about LBD with the public. She is the author of the newly published book I Didn’t See it Coming: Scenes of Love, Loss, and Lewy Body Dementia. Learn more at her website:
www.maryloufalcone.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Why Mary Lou decided to become a crusader for LBD awareness * The difference between Alzheimer’s and Lewy Body Dementia * The symptoms of LBD and why it is often difficult to diagnose * The inspiration for writing this book * Why LBD is little known by the general population * How to cope as a caregiver with the fluctuating symptoms of LBD * Survival strategies for LBD caregivers * Helpful resources available for caregivers
Links mentioned in this episode: NY Times article about Mary Lou and her book * CaringKind website – resources for dementia caregivers * Lewy Body Dementia Resource Center * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Trina Wacasey and Samantha Potter and to Dianne Feltham for increasing your pledge. Also thank you to Anonymous for buying me 3 coffees and to Carol Soppe and Samantha Potter for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn everything you need to know about various options for after-death care so you can make an informed choice for yourself or a loved one.
My guest Seth Viddal is the Chief Executive Officer of The Natural Funeral, a trailblazing funeral home that stands as Colorado’s premier holistic and ecological funeral provider. Seth discusses in depth the various options that are currently available for disposition after death and shares some of the innovative and cutting-edge methods that are being developed at The Natural Funeral. Learn more at the website:
www.thenaturalfuneral.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Seth was inspired to start working in funeral and disposition services * Why Seth uses the term “conventional burial” rather than “traditional” * Conventional burial is the most common but also the fastest declining preference of people choosing disposition options * What are “green burial” options and how they differ from conventional burial * How to encourage local cemeteries to allow natural burial * How flame cremation remains popular though it is not considered “green” * The advantages of “water cremation”, also known as alkaline hydrolysis * What is terramation and where is it available and legal at this time * What is Reverent Body Care as offered by The Natural Funeral and how it benefits families
Links mentioned in this episode: Previous episodes: Burial at Sea; Better Place Forests * Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Listen to previous episode on social model hospice * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Nancy Simmers and Tatyana Hladki and to Kris Racer for buying me coffee and joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Hear a phenomenal and miraculous story about how a hospice patient’s “letter to the world” ended up actually traveling around the world and is now the subject of a documentary short film.
I have two guests this week joining me to talk about a documentary film that tells the story of a hospice patient named Brandon who wanted to leave a letter to share his love with the world. Brenna Brooks is the hospice social worker and trauma therapist from Sandy UT who helped Brandon write and share the letter that has now traveled around the world. Krystina Christiansen is a filmmaker from Los Angeles who found Brandon’s letter in Hawaii and was inspired to make a film about his story and the impact of his letter. You can learn more about the “Dear Brandon” film project and Krystina’s work at the websites below. Also follow posts about the letter and where it has traveled on Instagram:
www.seedandspark.com/fund/brandon
www.krystinachristiansen.com
Instagram – Forbrandonslove77
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Brandon’s story and how he ended up writing the letter with Brenna’s help * How Brenna first shared the letter on a hiking trail in Utah * An excerpt from Brandon’s letter * How Krystina came to find Brandon’s letter in Hawaii * How Brandon’s letter spread around the world * What impact writing this letter had on Brandon’s end-of-life journey * What inspired Krystina to make a documentary about this story * Goals for the film and how to help support it
Links mentioned in this episode: Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Listen to previous episode on social model hospice * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how social model hospice homes are changing communities and improving end-of-life care for everyone and how you can start one where you live.
My guest Kelley Scott has been caring for dying people throughout the 37 years of her nursing career. She is the founder and executive director of Clarehouse, a “social model” hospice home in Tulsa OK. Kelley also serves as the president of Omega Home Network and provides consulting and mentoring to aspiring social model hospices. She discusses the Omega Home model and how other communities can implement it to improve end-of-life care for everyone. Learn more at the websites:
www.omegahomenetwork.org
www.clarehouse.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What is a “social model hospice” or Omega Home * How Kelley first got interested in hospice and palliative care as a nurse * What inspired Kelley to found Clarehouse * Why Omega Homes are important to our communities * Advice for those who want to start an Omega Home in their community * Barriers to the Omega Home movement * How Omega Homes are funded
Links mentioned in this episode: Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Listen to previous episode on social model hospice * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn why cultural humility and awareness of hidden bias are essential in reducing racial disparities in care at the end of life.
My guest Dr. Kimberly Curseen is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care. She is the director of Supportive and Palliative Care Outpatient Services for Emory Healthcare and helps provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care for patients with cancer at any point in their disease process. She has helped educate physicians on implicit bias in healthcare and has written research articles for the Journal of Palliative Medicine and the Journal of Pain Symptom Management on structural racism and bias in palliative care. We discuss specific issues leading to racial inequities in healthcare and what we need to do to make changes and improve care at the end of life. Learn more about Dr. Curseen’s work:
med.emory.edu
Follow Dr. Curseen
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Dr. Curseen became interested in hospice and palliative medicine * What is “implicit bias” and how we can recognize it * Her work in rural Arkansas to educate community members and healthcare providers on implicit bias * Why we need “cultural humility” along with cultural competency training * How implicit stereotypes and biases contribute to racial inequities in healthcare * The current problem of racial disparities in pain management * Why improving racial disparities in advance care planning and hospice utilization must begin with our own personal work on hidden biases * How end-of-life care providers can develop cultural humility and a person-centered approach in their work * Why we need to change what we offer in end-of-life care to fit the patients that need care, rather than trying to force patients to fit into our existing model
Links mentioned in this episode: Check out my 2 latest books The Tao of Death and Stories from the Dark Night * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu especially my newest donors Lacy Buynak and Grace Lawrence and to Robin Blanche and Sandy Jane Stacy for increasing your pledge.Thank you to my newest donors on PayPal Erin Collins, Debora Schauss, Kathleen Lynch, and Janice Wildrick! Also many thanks to Ann Hyland and Jerry for buying me coffees! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about an inspirational books of stories, poems, essays and reflections that teaches how to use writing during a time of grief.
In this episode I’m joined by my dear husband, Dr. Larry George who is a family physician (now retired) and an expert in Integral Medicine, an application of Ken Wilber’s Integral Model. We engage in a thoughtful discussion about how writing was an essential component of my personal grief journey and the newly published book Stories from the Dark Night, which is a compilation of varied types of writing that helped me survive during the long years of grief after my father’s suicide death. Learn more about the book:
www.eoluniversity.com/books
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Our shared experience of grief after my father’s suicide death * How I got started writing during my time of grief * How writing can benefit grief * Types of writing that are helpful * How writing transformed me and how my grief transformed my writing * How readers can benefit from this book
Links mentioned in this episode: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn how meditation practice can help decrease the fear of death and prepare you for a peaceful end of life.
My guest Patt LInd-Kyle is an authority on mindulness meditation, chakras, and the Enneagram who will share practices for addressing the fear of death. She is the author of 4 science and spirituality books including her latest Embracing the End of Life, A Journey into Dying and Awakening and Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain. Patt is also a thought leader on how the mind and brain work together to arrive at a sense of who we are. She has studied the dying process in preparation for her own death and has become a leading authority on death and dying consciously. Patt has produced a series of guided meditations to accompany her Embracing the End of Life and Heal Your Mind, Rewire Your Brain books. Learn more at her website:
www.Pattlindkyle.com
Get the book
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Why it is important to face the fear of death * The benefits of meditation for confronting the end of life * How to start a meditation practice * How to let go of the need to control death * How facing death helps us live life more fully
Links mentioned in this episode: Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a groundbreaking new educational series about end-of-life care for veterans and their loved ones.
My return guest this week is Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar, an Army veteran, end-of-life doula, educator and the founder of In Their Honor, LLC, an organization dedicated to re-imagining end-of-life care for veterans and their families. Qwynn recently collaborated with PsychArmor Institute to launch Course 1 of the “Caring for Veterans Through the End of Life Series,” which provides online education for veterans, their loved ones, caregivers and healthcare providers around compassionate end-of-life care for veterans. She’ll discuss her own journey to realizing this goal and why this series is a game-changer. Learn more about Qwynn’s work and the course at these websites:
www.intheirhonor.info
www.psycharmor.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What inspired Qwynn to create this course * Her remarkable 2 year journey to realize this goal * Why some of the issues facing veterans at the end of life and unique and need to be recognized * Who can benefit from this free course * Why end-of-life education is important for veterans and their loved ones * Why healthcare providers in all specialties could use additional training in working with veterans in a compassionate manner * The importance of developing “compassionate communities” for everyone
Links mentioned in this episode: Check out my 2 new books: The Tao of Death and Stories from the Dark Night * Previous interview with Qwynn Galloway-Salazar: Episode 324 * Interview with Wes Moldogo and Lauren Grigsby: Episode 416 * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and my newest donors on PayPal Kimberly James and Gaja Andzel! Also many thanks to Ann Hyland for buying me coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn useful tips for helping patients and loved ones be more comfortable at the very end of life – small changes can make a big difference.
This week I welcome back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, speaker, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care. She is the author of ‘the little blue hospice book,” Gone from My Sight and the recently published By Your Side: A Guide for Caring for the Dying at Home. We discuss tips for caregivers to provide comfort to patients during the last days and hours of life when they may not be able to communicate their needs. There are dozens of “little things” that can make a big difference in the comfort level of our loved ones and patients and you’ll learn about them in this conversation. Learn more about Barbara’s work and books at her website:
www.bkbooks.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Why grooming and hygiene matter for patients all the way through the end of life * Tips for good mouth and lip care * Preserving patient dignity by honoring their routines * Preventing skin breakdown * Importance of positioning and turning patients for maximum comfort * Dealing with breathing issues and “death rattle” * An alternative to adult diapers * Options for administering medications sublingually, rectally or as a skin cream
Links mentioned in this episode: Get my two new books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death * Check out previous interviews with Barbara Karnes RN * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Michelle Sandner and to Amrita for buying me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Learn about a remarkable program that trains incarcerated people in palliative and hospice care skills so they can provide care for their peers in correctional facilities.
My two special guests this week work with the Humane Prison Hospice Project: Lisa Deal is the Executive Director, who previously worked for Mission Hospice and Home Care in California. Fernando Murillo is the Program Manager for the Palliative Care Initiative at the Humane Prison Hospice Project where he trains incarcerated people to provide palliative and hospice care for their aging and dying peers. Fernando shares the story of committing himself to improving the overall quality of life in the correctional setting during his own 24 years of incarceration. Together we discuss the need for hospice and palliative care in prisons and how this project is meeting that need and hoping to expand in the future. Learn more at the website:
www.humaneprisonhospiceproject.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How the Humane Prison Hospice Project got started * How Lisa became interested in the idea of prison hospice * Fernando’s journey from incarceration to now providing training in palliative and hospice care skills to others who are incarcerated * Why palliative and hospice care is desperately needed right now in prisons in the U.S. * How incarcerated people benefit from receiving training to become caregivers for their fellow residents * How the entire prison, including staff, benefits from the presence of the Humane Prison Hospice Project * How to get similar projects started in other prisons across the country * What hospice workers need to know before volunteering to teach in a correctional setting
Links mentioned in this episode: Interview with Edgar Barens about Prison Terminal documentary * Learn more about Prison Terminal * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donors Cathy Duke, Laurie Kurs, and Kelly Oberle! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.
Today is “Self-Care Monday” and I’ll be taking a little time off to have cataract surgery. In this brief audio recording you will learn three simple steps for being in the present moment with a patient that can help you feel more focused and less stressed. I hope you’ll take time for some self-care too… Continue reading Ep. 418 Self-Care Series: How to be More Present with Patients at the End of Life with Karen Wyatt MD
Learn about a helpful guidebook to provide information and dispel fear around medical aid in dying. My guest Gabrielle Elise Jimenez is a hospice nurse, an end-of-life doula, and a conscious dying educator. She is the author of 6 books and the host of The Hospice Heart Facebook group, which now has 140,000 members. We… Continue reading Ep. 417 Dignity Day: A Guidebook for Medical Aid in Dying with Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Learn about an innovative ranch that provides a safe and healing space for veterans and how to help veterans prepare for end of life “upstream”, before it’s too late. My guests this week are two veterans who now work with other veterans at end of life. Lauren Grigsby is the co-executive director at Central Oregon… Continue reading Ep. 416 Upstream Care for Veterans at End of Life with Lauren Grigsby and Wes Moldogo
Learn how a grieving mother has been called to offer palliative, end-of-life, and after death care to children and their families. My guest Toula Saratsis is a certified end-of-life doula who specializes in prenatal and pediatric palliative, end-of-life, and after death care support. She shares her poignant story of being called to this work after… Continue reading Ep. 415 End-of-Life Care for Children and Their Families with Toula Saratsis
Today is “Self-Care Monday” and I’ll be enjoying a little time off. In this brief audio recording you will learn about powerful benefits of experiencing gratitude and 3 simple practices to help you bring more gratitude into your life. One thing I’m grateful for is all of the wonderful listeners out there who send me… Continue reading Ep. 414 Self-Care Series: The Benefits of Gratitude with Karen Wyatt
Learn about current issues in healthcare that are impacting the quality of care received at the end of life. My guest Dr. Drew Remignanti is an emergency medicine physician who has lived with chronic illness since being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of 19. He suffered a major stroke at the age of… Continue reading Ep. 413 Death in the E.R. and the Failures of Modern Medicine with Drew Remignanti MD
Learn some skills and tools for managing anger when it arises at end of life for patients, families and even co-workers. I’m welcoming back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes, hospice nurse and internationally recognized author, speaker, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. Today we discuss the issue of anger,… Continue reading Ep. 412 Dealing with Anger at the End of Life with Barbara Karnes RN
Learn about a powerful book that has been helping people heal their relationships at the end of life for almost 20 years. My special guest Dr. Ira Byock is a leading palliative care physician, author, and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. We discuss his seminal book The Four Things That Matter… Continue reading Ep. 411 The Four Things That Matter Most with Dr. Ira Byock
Today is “Self-Care Monday” and I’ll be enjoying a little time off. In this brief audio recording you will learn a simple process for noticing the good and positive experiences happening around you and gradually training your mind to store more joyful and positive memories. I hope you’ll take time for some self-care too as… Continue reading Ep. 410 Self-Care Series: Finding Little Moments of Joy with Karen Wyatt
Learn about a brilliant workbook that helps us expand death literacy while exploring life’s deeper meaning. My guest Francesca Lynn Arnoldy is a doula and a researcher with the Vermont Conversation Lab. She was the original developer of the end-of-life doula training programs at the University of Vermont and is the author of three “death-lit”… Continue reading Ep. 409 The Death Doula’s Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared with Francesca Lynn Arnoldy
Learn about a valuable organization that provides peer support and resources for people grieving widowhood. My guest Michele Neff Hernandez is the founder and CEO of Soaring Spirits International, a non-profit organization providing peer support programming for widowed people worldwide. Michele has received local, state, and national recognition for her work in founding Soaring Spirits.… Continue reading Ep. 408 Soaring Spirits: Support for Widowed People with Michele Neff Hernandez
Learn some great tips for helping your parents make challenging decisions about their senior years and end of life. My guest Star Bradbury is an Aging Life Care Specialist and the CEO of Senior Living Strategies. She has helped thousands of families make educated and informed decisions as they navigate the world of senior living… Continue reading Ep. 407 Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years with Star Bradbury
Learn about the challenges of coping with loss, grief and uncertainty that accompany a life-limiting illness.
My guest Novelette Munroe is a poet, artist and hospice volunteer who was born with a rare and life-limiting genetic skin condition called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB.) Despite dealing with ongoing and constant medical issues Novelette manages to volunteer her time in hospice and peer bereavement in her local community. She discusses the challenges of her life journey and how she has managed to cope with multiple losses caused by her illness and the deaths of several friends who also had EB. Learn more about Camp Discovery for kids with skin diseases:
www.aad.org/public/public-health/camp-discovery
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What life has been like dealing with EB * The importance of connecting with others who are experiencing a similar illness and how summer camp changed everything for Novelette * Why Novelette decided to become a hospice volunteer * How Novelette developed “grief literacy” with the help of teachers * Practices that have helped her cope with ongoing illness, uncertainty and grief * The benefits of mindful self-compassion for grief and illness * What Novelette wishes medical professionals understood about helping patients with life-limiting illness
Links mentioned in this episode: Register for Seriously Let’s Talk * VIDEO: Kaley Cuoco and Courteney Cox discuss their fundraising support for EB research * Book: Mindfulness and Grief by Heather Stang * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Marian Head! Your contributions make all the difference.
Today is “Self-Care Monday” and I’ll be enjoying a little time off. In this brief audio learn how to utilize the simple skill of deep breathing to reduce stress and anxiety for yourself and your patients. I hope you’ll take time for some self-care too as you work to help others experience a better end of life and prepare for your own future path. See you next week for a regular episode where I’ll share a new interview!
Listen here:
Learn how a Buddhist approach to death and dying can help us come to terms with our mortality.
My guest Sallie Tisdale is a nurse and the author of ten books, including Advice for Future Corpses (and Those Who Love Them.) She has worked as a registered nurse and taught at Reed College, Northwestern University, and New York University. A largely self-taught writer on health and medical issues, Tisdale has contributed to the Antioch Review, Tricycle, Harper’s Magazine, and the New Yorker. She shares what inspired her to write about death and dying and what she hopes people will take away from her book. Learn more at her website:
www.sallietisdale.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Sallie has balanced dual careers as a nurse and writer * Sallie’s current work as a nurse and a trainer for caregivers * How the Buddhist approach to death and dying has been a lens for Sallie in her work * The importance of bringing joy into death and dying * How grief can help us feel connected to everyone on the planet * How death is “brand new” every time we encounter it and the importance of beginner’s mind * Advice for people going to visit a dying person * Why our efforts to increase advance care planning may be failing * How to help people make choices about pain management and level of sedation * What people need to understand about hospice care at home
Links mentioned in this episode: Film recommendation: Dick Johnson is Dead * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Kitty Edwards! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about creating opportunities in your community for conversations about death.
My guest Stefanie Elkins is a Family Caregiver Consultant, end-of-life doula, founder of Be Present Care, and the creator of Death Over Drafts, a community event held at breweries across the country to spark meaningful conversations around death and dying. She’ll share her experience bringing end-of-life conversations to community spaces where people naturally gather and how we can make a difference in someone’s end-of-life journey by helping them talk about death and grief. Learn more about Stefanie’s work at her website:
www.bepresentcare.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Stefanie helps patients and families at the end of life * What inspired Death Over Drafts * Who attends Death Over Drafts and examples of the conversations that have taken place * Why conversations about death are important * Why we need to meet people where they are and bring death education to various venues and spaces * How to bring Death Over Drafts to your own community * Why end-of-life workers need to do their own work planning for the end of life * How families can support the aging and prepare for the inevitable
Links mentioned in this episode: Register for Death Over Drafts on May 19th (Torrance CA) * For more information: https://www.deathoverdrafts.com/ * Silent Book Club of Death: https://silentbookclub.substack.com/p/silent-book-club-of-death * Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest donor Phyllis Wintter and to Don Zacharias for making a Paypal donation! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn the story of my journey with grief after my father’s death by suicide and how it may differ from other grief experiences.
In this solo episode I share the story of my own grief experience after my father died by suicide 34 years ago. This is an ongoing journey that has shifted and changed over the years, teaching me a great deal about life, death and grief. The week this episode airs is the anniversary of Dad’s death, so I’m currently processing it once again and thought I would share the story with you. Hopefully this will be helpful to others who are dealing with grief after suicide or trying to help someone who is grieving. I want to decrease the stigma and shame that surround suicide so that we can get better about asking for, receiving, and giving help to those who are suffering. (Note: There are slides that accompany this talk if you watch on YouTube.)
Get my book 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The shock and numbness of my first year of grief * What I needed from others during my early grieving process * Why I couldn’t talk about my father’s death for a long time * How hospice opened me to finally begin embracing my grief * Why allowing myself to feel anger was difficult but pivotal in my grief process * Why it didn’t really matter what other people said to me during my grief experience * Why I have compassion for people who couldn’t be there for me * How I used rituals and travel to help me with my grief * The devastating guilt that accompanies grief after suicide * How my grief has changed over the years
Links mentioned in this episode: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to Mark and Cheri McClure for buying me 5 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about “non-ordinary” end-of-life experiences like deathbed visions and why they are a gift to patients and their loved ones.
This week I’m welcoming back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse and international speaker and educator. She is also the author of the “little blue hospice book” Gone from My Sight and the recent book for caregivers, By Your Side. Barbara and I discuss common phenomena that occur during the last days of life that can be upsetting to families if they don’t understand what’s happening. As usual we share lots of stories and experiences along with our own approach to handling these situations. Learn more about Barbara’s work at her website:
www.bkbooks.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The frequency of unexplained phenomena at the end of life * What it’s like when a patient experiences a deathbed vision * The symbolic language that patients may use prior to death * What is terminal lucidity and how to help loved ones understand what is happening * How to respond to patients and caregivers when deathbed phenomena occur * Why it’s important to validate and normalize these experiences * Why we should avoid interjecting our own beliefs and interpretations about these events * How to help loved ones find the gift in these experiences rather than be afraid of them
Links mentioned in this episode: Get EOLU Podcast Merch here * Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here * Book: Final Gifts by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley * Book: Death is But a Dream by Dr. Christopher Kerr * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest patron Stefanie Elkins! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about the important recent report from the Lancet Commission in the UK on the value of death and what each of us needs to do to help bring death back into life.
My guest Dr. Libby Sallnow is a palliative medicine consultant and honorary senior lecturer at St. Christopher’s Hospice and the UCL Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, UK. She is also the co-author of The Lancet Commission Report on the Value of Death: Bringing Death Back Into Life. In addition her PhD explored the translation of a model of compassionate communities from Kerala, India to London, UK. She discusses the creation of the report on The Value of Death and its key takeaways that can form a roadmap for the reform and rebalancing of death and dying in our societies. Learn more about her work at the website:
www.ucl.ac.uk/health-of-public/news-and-events/spotlight/spotlight-dr-libby-sallnow
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What inspired Libby’s interest in end-of-life care * The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death and what lead to their recent report * Why we need to rebalance death and dying * The “5 principles of a realistic utopia” as described in the report * Why we need to focus on death literacy first as we try to improve end-of-life care in our societies * The compassionate communities approach (to be covered in a future episode)
Links mentioned in this episode: Get EOLU Merchandise here * Get Conversations on Death with ChatGPT in paperback format * Read the Lancet Commission Report * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest patrons Jeff Black and Lindsay Compton, and to Brittany Ellis for your donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference.
The old man and the young woman sat across from one another stiffly perched on plastic chairs, staring down at the floor – doctor and patient. The tension in the room, exaggerated by the silence between them, was almost unbearable. Then the patient, stroking a trembling, emaciated hand across a hairless scalp, spoke haltingly, “Doctor, promise me I’m not going to die.”
According to a recent post in the New York Times by columnist Jane Brody, this type of interaction with a terminally ill patient creates occupational distress for many doctors who are not equipped emotionally to handle such a difficult situation. She states that doctors who are unable to cope with “their own feelings of frustration, failure and helplessness … may react with anger, abruptness and avoidance” toward their patients who are dying. When this occurs doctors may recommend futile treatments to patients at the end of life because they cannot connect with those patients on a human, suffering level and have nothing else to offer them.
The article touts mindfulness meditation, a practice recommended by palliative care specialist Dr. Michael Kearney, as a solution for discontent and disconnected doctors. I wholeheartedly agree that mindfulness meditation can be a very helpful practice for calming anxiety and learning to be present. However, I believe that this problem—doctors who find themselves unable to cope with perceived failure when a patient is dying—requires a deeper and more fundamental solution: doctors need a new understanding of death and therefore, life.
These are the fundamental truths of death and dying that should be taught to every medical student from the first day of training:
1. Death is inevitable.
Every living thing on Earth will die. Death ultimately cannot be avoided or prevented, even though it can and should be forestalled when reasonably possible. The fact that every patient eventually dies creates a sense of hopelessness and futility for doctors if they pit themselves against death as an enemy—for that is a battle that can never be won. But those who recognize that the end of life is actually the final stage of human development can help their patients face their last days with dignity and make reasonable choices for their care and treatment.
2. Death is a mystery.
No matter how hard we try we simply cannot control or accurately predict when natural death will occur. In my hospice work I have seen many patients who lived far longer than expected, against all reasonable odds; and I have also seen patients who died much sooner than expected, from causes not related to their terminal illness. We have to accept this mysterious nature of death even while we work to circumvent it or prepare for its arrival.
3. Death makes life more precious.
When life is perceived against the dark backdrop of death, we can see how it shines and glistens for us, ever more precious because it is fleeting. This is the gift that our mortal nature provides us—an opportunity to cherish each moment simply for the fact that it will not last.
4. Dying provides an opportunity for transformation.
In my work with hospice patients I have witnessed over and over the transformative power of love and forgiveness during the last days of life. When dying is respected as a natural part of life and time is allowed for the process to unfold, patients can turn their focus to matters of the heart and soul and find meaning in both life and death. But this does not happen when death is perceived as an enemy that must be resisted until the final breath is taken. Doctors can help their patients change focus by advising them with honesty when the time comes that pursuing further treatment is futile and will cause more harm than benefit.
In my ideal world doctors would be educated in the wisdom of all aspects of health, including the decline of physical health that ends in death. Doctors would be the guides who help us make reasonable choices, who see beyond our fears, and who possess the compassion and tools to ease our suffering. Doctors then would be the wisest members of our society, never deluded by the myth of immortality.
When a doctor such as this is asked by a patient, “How can I live, knowing I am going to die?’ the answer would be:
“You must turn your focus to those things that matter the most to you. Put your energy into living each and every moment fully rather than trying to escape death. Then when the time of your death arrives—and no one really knows when that time will be—you won’t feel bitter and deprived. You will be filled with the joy of a life of meaning—no matter how many years of life you have been given.”
Healing takes place, not when death is forestalled, but when life is embraced and affirmed in its entirety, from beginning to end. When doctors can fully understand the nature of death and dying they will become the true healers that are desperately needed in this world.
Learn how rituals can help us with grief and what the Five Stages model gets wrong about grief.
My guest this week is Dr. Terri Daniel, inter-spiritual hospice chaplain, end-of-life educator, and grief counselor. She shares some of the powerful rituals she uses for grief at funerals and workshops and we dive into the Five Stages model and why it continues to be popular in our society. Terri is also the author of four books on death, grief and the afterlife and the founder of The Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, which focuses on how religious beliefs and cultural ideologies influence one’s relationship with death and grief. Learn more at Terri’s websites:
www.danieldirect.net
www.deathgriefandbelief.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes: Terri’s journey from caring for her son Danny at the end of his life to the work she is doing now * Why she started The Conference on Death, Grief and Belief* and how to attend * Unique and powerful grief rituals Terri has created for people at the end of their lives and also for funerals and workshops * How rituals help us with grief and mourning * How the Five Stages model initially became applied to grief * What the Five Stages model gets wrong about acceptance * How the Five Stages model persists in our society * What ChatGPT says about why the Five Stages model is popular * Other models for personality and “love languages” that have attained widespread popularity in spite of having no evidence of accuracy (and why this happens)
Links mentioned in this episode: Register for IANDS Spring Symposium * Get the book Conversations on Death with ChatGPT * Learn about The Conference on Death, Grief and Belief * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest patron Catherine Paton, and to Anne Jungerman for increasing your pledge, Amrita for buying me a coffee, Suzie Hopkins for your donation on Paypal, and Ray Burleigh for your donation and poem! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about the importance of healing the emotions and the soul along with the body during serious illness.
My guest Lesley Wirth is a poet and writer who has a Masters Degree in Spiritual Psychology. She helps women experiencing a “dark night of the soul” by helping them deal with fear and spiritual and emotional pain, including after being diagnosed with serious illness. Lesley is the creator of the programs Poetry for Healing and The Power of Your Intuition. She discusses her work using poetry in workshops and also teaching how to access intuition. Learn more about her work at her website:
www.lesleywirth.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Lesley’s story of a “dark night of the soul” * How a diagnosis of serious illness can lead to an over-focus on the physical aspects of illness while leaving out the emotional and spiritual * Why healing requires more than just a physical approach * How to deal with fear and anxiety during difficult times * Why “positive psychology” may bypass the areas where deep healing is actually needed * How poetry can help with healing * Why medical providers could benefit from approaching illness as more than just a physical problem
Links mentioned in this episode: Register for IANDS Spring Symposium * Get the book Conversations on Death with ChatGPT * Lesley’s Workshop on The Power of Your Intuition * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Robin Bissell for your donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn how the AI language model ChatGPT can be used as a resource for information about death and dying and when caution is required.
My special “guest” this week is ChatGPT an AI language model that can understand and respond to human language. Chat has been trained on a wide range of topics, including end-of-life care, hospice, palliative care, grief and bereavement, and advance care planning, among others. I conducted a written “interview” with Chat to test its knowledge and in this episode I report on my findings. In addition, I’ve compiled all of our correspondence into a book titled Conversations on Death with ChatGPT, which you can access now in ebook format. I hope you enjoy hearing about my adventures with Chat!
Get the book
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What an AI language model consists of and how to interact with it * The amazing depth and breadth of content and resources that ChatGPT was able to generate in a matter of seconds * What I learned about euphemisms for death from Chat * What Chat got wrong about for-profit hospice * How Chat needed better information about talking to children about death * Chat’s creative ideas for promoting advance care planning in predominantly Black communities * Chat’s thoughts about the 5-stages model of grief * A haiku Chat wrote about grief * How Chat helped me deal with guilt over my father’s suicide death
Links mentioned in this episode: Get the book: Conversations on Death with ChatGPT * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Susan Mackey and Colleen Bracken, and to Laura Srygley for buying me a coffee and Fabricio Vasconcelos de Lima for donating on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about a mission to transform care for dying patients and their loved ones in nursing homes.
My guest Loretta Downs is a Certified End-of-Life Care Practitioner and holds a Masters Degree in Gerontology. She founded Chrysalis End-of-Life Inspirations to advocate for the creation of private rooms in nursing homes and hospitals where families and friends can keep vigil with a loved one who is dying. She’ll discuss her project and share some of the stories that have inspired her work. (NOTE: This is an archived interview from the days before I acquired a professional microphone, so the sound quality is less than desired, but the content is excellent!) Learn more at Loretta’s website:
www.endoflifeinspirations.com
Listen on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Loretta became interested in working with the dying * What is a “Chrysalis Room” * How Loretta conceived of the idea of a separate room for the dying in nursing homes * How the Chrysalis Room has benefitted both the patients and the staffs of long-term care facilities * What it takes to create a Chrysalis Room * How to advocate with a facility to change the way they care for the dying
Links mentioned in this episode: What Really Matters Podcast * NEW Archives Page * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Marian Head and Jaime Corbin, and to Lynn Mytroen for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about the growth of the positive death movement in Mexico and the value of conscious dying and dreamwork.
My guest Wilka Roig is a transpersonal psychologist, death doula, grief counselor, dream worker, and educator. She is the president of Fundación Elisabeth Kübler-Ross (EKR) México Centro and a doula instructor for INELDA. She discusses the growth of the doula movement in Mexico and the end-of-life issues that are currently arising in Mexico and Central and South America. In addition she talks about the dream work she engages in and the importance of symbolic dreams at the end of life. Learn more at her website:
www.wilkaroig.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Wilka first became interested in working with death, loss and grief * The work of the EKR Foundation in Mexico and what programs are being offered * The growth of Death Café in Mexico * Death doula training in Mexico and how doulas are being received * The value of collaborating with other providers and communities to share knowledge * How Wilka helped start the green burial movement in Mexico * Why spiritual growth requires us to look at our own mortality * The power of the symbolism of dreams to help us heal and grow * Why we should be asking people at the end of life about their dreams * How healthcare providers could benefit from participating in a dream group
Links mentioned in this episode: Get Started page * What Really Matters Podcast * NEW Archives Page * EKR México website * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Diane for buying me 3 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn how YG2D brings diverse communities in to the conversation of death and dying using creativity.
My guest Ned Buskirk is the Founder, Podcast Host, Facilitator and Executive Director for You’re Going to Die (YG2D), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Ned discusses the YG2D movement and how the arts are essential to helping us make meaning out of our mortality. We also talk about the importance of self-care as we try to make changes in how we think and talk about death in our society. Learn more at the website:
www.yg2d.com
www.instagram.com/yergoing2die
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The need that inspired the creation of the first YG2D open mic * How YG2D has responded to the needs of community * The paradox between the urgent need for the message to get out and the reality that we also need to let go and relax in the moment * How creative arts can be a gentle way to introduce the reality of death and dying * The arts are “medicine” for our mortality * Writing helps us access unconscious parts of ourselves that have been buried * We need places we can go where we are safe enough to be vulnerable * How listening to stories is as important as telling our own * Grief can be a “rite of passage” in our culture, especially if we can talk about it * It’s important to find the right community that can hold you in the way you need to be held * Why we need self-care and balance when we are working in the death and dying field * The prison work that Ned is engaging in through YG2D
Links mentioned in this episode: What Really Matters Podcast * NEW Archives Page * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Barbara Butler for your donation and to Laura for buying me 5 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about the challenges faced by caregivers for dementia patients and some creative ideas for offering support.
In this episode I welcome back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes, hospice nurse, speaker, thought leader, and expert on end-of-life care. She is the author of the “little blue hospice book” Gone From My Sight and her most recent book By Your Side: A Guide for Caring for the Dying at Home. We discuss the challenges of caring for a person with dementia and the impact that care can have on family members. Learn more about Barbara’s work at her website:
www.bkbooks.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* There are now over 7 million people with dementia in the US * Dementia patients require twice as many hours of care as other patients * The late stage of dementia can last 1-2 years; patients are eligible for hospice care during the last 6 months * How the last stage of life for dementia patients differs from that of other end-of-life patients * Why caregivers for dementia patients are much more likely to suffer exhaustion and depression * A marker to use for determining when a dementia patient is eligible for hospice * Why it’s essential to create an advance directive early in the course of dementia while the patient can make decisions * The need for “dementia doulas” to guide and assist caregivers * What happens when a caregiver can no longer take care of their loved one at home * How some financial planners are doing a better job talking to their clients about preparing for healthcare needs than medical providers are doing * Simple tips to help caregivers in the moment
Links mentioned in this episode: FAC-AZ Annual Meeting in March: Register here (you can attend in person or virtually) * What Really Matters Podcast * NEW Archives Page * Family Caregiver Alliance: Website Caregiver College Videos * A Place for Mom * Book recommendation: Connecting the Dots by Judith London * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Barbara Richardson and thank you also to Jen Blalock for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn the fascinating history of some funeral customs in America and how the profession is changing.
My guest Todd Harra is a 4th generation funeral director, embalmer, post-mortem reconstructionist, and creationist who works for the family funeral business in Wilmington, Delaware. He is also an author of several books including his latest book Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral. He discusses the fascinating history of many funeral customs here in the U.S. and why funerals are important. Learn more at his website:
www.toddharra.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What inspired Todd to work in the family business as a funeral director * How this career provides lessons in grace and humility * Common myths and stigmas about the profession of funeral director * How the funeral industry continues to evolve * How and why the practice of embalming the dead began in the U.S. * The history of viewing the body before burial and why it may be helpful for mourners * The discovery at a Neanderthal burial site of evidence for early funeral practices * Why funerals are important and a vital step in the grieving process * When and why to include children in funerals * How technology will change funerals in the future * What we need to remember about the history of funerals as we move into the future
Links mentioned in this episode: FAC-AZ Annual Meeting in March: Register here (you can attend in person or virtually) * What Really Matters Podcast * Previous interviews with funeral directors Caleb Wilde Eric Layer Amy Cunningham and Caitlin Doughty * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Heather Capuano! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about this journalist’s research into “the good death” and what she learned through seven years of study and travel across the U.S.
My guest Ann Neumann is a journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, Harper’s magazine, The Baffler, Guernica magazine, and elsewhere. After caring for her father at his end of life she became a hospice volunteer and began to research the meaning of a “good death” in this country, which led to her book The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America. She shares some of the things she learned about death as she traveled the country and listened to opinions, beliefs, and stories about what constitutes a good death. Learn more at her website:
www.annneumann.wordpress.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Ann’s experience caring for her father at the end of his life inspired her research for the book * How Ann and her family felt unprepared for the actual dying process even though they were receiving care from hospice * How the “gentle” marketing of hospice and death care services can obscure the reality of the challenges of dying * The tragedy of “false hope” being offered to patients rather than factual information * Where Ann found inspiration for each of the topics she covered in the book (e.g. medical aid in dying, pro-life movement, religious influence on dying, disability issues, prison hospice) * Why “dignity” can mean something different to people who live with disabilities * The extensive work needed to overcome racial disparities in end-of-life care and restore trust
Links mentioned in this episode: FAC-AZ Annual Meeting in March: Register here (you can attend in person or virtually) * New ARCHIVES page * Tutorial: How to Make Difficult EOL Decisions for a Loved One * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Jason P. and thank you also the anonymous person who bought me 5 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn how the FCA helps consumers plan ahead for funerals and make informed choices for themselves and their loved ones.
My guest Martha Lundgren is the president of the board of Funeral Consumers Alliance of Arizona. She also serves on the speakers bureau for FCA-AZ and is a representative in the Arizona End of Life Care Partnership. Martha will tell us the role FCA plays in educating people about their rights when planning a funeral and how to avoid costly mistakes, which is information we all need to know for ourselves, loved ones, patients and clients. Learn more at the websites:
Funeral Consumers Alliance of Arizona: www.fcaaz.org
National Funeral Consumers Alliances: www.funerals.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The role of the Funeral Consumers Alliance * Why planning ahead is important for funerals, especially if you have specific wishes for what happens * How FCA helps consumers “shop around” for funeral arrangements * The funeral industry in general lacks transparency about pricing * Why you should plan in advance but not pay in advance for funerals * Consumers should beware of deceptive advertising in the funeral industry * Why it’s important to name someone to pay for and plan your funeral * What to do if your loved one doesn’t want a funeral * How to cover the cost of a funeral or disposition * What happens if someone dies while traveling out of state or out of the country
Links mentioned in this episode: FAC-AZ Annual Meeting in March: Register here (you can attend in person or virtually) * Caitlyn Doughty’s book: Smoke Gets in Your Eyes * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Diana Hiatt! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn how virtual reality technology can be utilized in a powerful way to ease distress and find meaning for people facing life-limiting illness.
My two guests, Gregory Roufa and Lama Karma, both work for Anuma, a company specializing in developing sacred experiences in virtual reality. Gregory is the co-founder and CEO at Anuma and Karma is an experience designer. They discuss the work Anuma is doing to create VR experiences that can benefit patients facing serious illness, particularly at the end of life, without the use of drugs. Learn more at the website:
www.anuma.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What is Virtual Reality * What equipment is used for a VR experience * The inspiration behind Anuma * What is a “self-transcendent” experience * How to use VR in a beneficial rather than a harmful way * What to expect from the Clear Light Program * Why a transcendent experience can be helpful for anxiety at the end of life * Results seen so far from Anuma’s studies * How to work with Anuma as a facilitator on pilot projects or as a capital partner * How Virtual Reality has similar effects to a medium dose of psychedelic medication (and is legal and available now)
Links mentioned in this episode: Previous interview on psychedelics at the end of life * Nature Article on group VR experiences * Contact Gregory at: greg@anuma.com * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Jean Oswald and also to Madeleine for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about an initiative to provide hospice patients with songs written specifically for them about their lives and stories.
My guest Emily Cavanagh is a singer/songwriter based in New York City who performs in places like New York, Chicago and Dublin. She has made a career for herself as a singer at the intersection of music and service as she brings music to marginalized communities. She is the founder of the music initiative A Song for You, which features local, touring, and Grammy Award-winning songwriters who compose and perform original personalized songs for hospice patients and their families. She will discuss the inspiration behind A Song for You and how this work has benefitted both the recipients and the creators of these special songs. Learn more at her websites:
www.emilycavanaghmusic.com
www.hereisasongforyou.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How Emily got started in social work, activism and music * What inspired her to create A Song for You * The first song Emily wrote for a patient * How she writes songs for total strangers * How A Song for You has grown over time * The process for applying to have a song written for someone * How patients, families and songwriters have benefitted from sharing this special music * How to support A Song for You and its mission
Links mentioned in this episode: Emily’s YouTube Channel * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Lucy Karl and Amrita Dhanji, and also to Karen Friedmann for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about some positive steps that are needed to heal the current hospice industry in the U.S. and how your story can make a difference.
My guest Dr. Ira Byock is a leading palliative care physician, author and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. He is the author of Dying Well, The Four Things That Matter Most, and The Best Care Possible. We discuss his recent essay pinion piece published in STAT online: “Hospice Care Needs Saving,” which is a response to the November Propublica/New Yorker article How the Visionary Hospice Movement Became a For-Profit Hustle. Learn more at his website:
www.irabyock.org
Read the STAT article
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Our reactions to the Propublica article * What the article got right about today’s hospice and why we need to take it seriously * What the hospice movement needs to work on to improve care for patients and rebuild trust with the public * Why internal “self-correction” is more important now for the hospice industry than expecting Congress to make changes * Why over-focus on profit is dangerous for the hospice movement * Why transparency, strengthened oversight, and legal accountability are important steps for saving hospice * How stories about current hospice care can be helpful as we move forward
Links mentioned in this episode: Previous interview with Dr. Byock * Get in touch with Dr. Byock to share your hospice story: ira.byock@gmail.com * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Sara Perry! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn more about the Five Wishes document and why it can be a good choice as an advance directive.
My guest Joanne Eason is the president of Five Wishes, the nation’s only national advance care planning program. She discusses the history of the Five Wishes organization and the benefits of using the Five Wishes form as an advance directive. We review the reasons why everyone over age 18 needs and advance directive and how Five Wishes can meet that need. Learn more at the website:
www.fivewishes.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The original inspiration behind Five Wishes * What the Five Wishes document consists of * Which 46 states recognize Five Wishes as a legal document and the extra steps needed in the other 4 states * Why choose Five Wishes over state advance directive forms or how to use both forms together * The benefits of planning ahead for the end of life * The importance of choosing the best person as a healthcare proxy * Why Five Wishes asks individuals to define “what life support treatment means to me” * The importance of including questions about more than just wishes for medical treatment in advance care planning * What steps to take after completing Five Wishes * How the Five Wishes form acknowledges the “gray areas” of end-of-life planning
Links mentioned in this episode: Register here for (free) online event with William Peters and The Shift Network: Discover the Shared Death Experience * Get the Five Wishes Advocate’s Toolkit * Driving Miss Norma * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Kyle Tevlin and Janice Cotter! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn how End Well brings together fresh and diverse perspectives on the end of life from art, design and other non-medical fields.
My guest Tracy Wheeler is the executive director of End Well, an organization dedicated to transforming how the world views end of life. Tracy has a background in art, education, culture and politics, which inform her commitment to shining a light on how we might make end of life a part of life. She discusses the mission and work of End Well since its founding and what lies ahead in the future, including the new End Well Podcast. Learn more at the website:
www.endwellproject.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes: Why the end-of-life movement needs to expand beyond the perspective of the healthcare industry * Why End Well is working with Hollywood to get more stories written about the end of life * How the Netflix series From Scratch portrayed very accurately a true story of serious illness and end of life * What the first season of the End Well Podcast consists of * About Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider, the founder of End Well, and what inspired her to create this organization * Why end-of-life care issues cannot be fixed within the medical system that helped create those very issues * The End Well Conference* planned for 2024 and how to sign up for the mailing list * Why psychedelic assisted therapy will be part of the wave of the future * The fear of death that exists within the medical profession * The impact of COVID on how healthcare approaches death and dying
Links mentioned in this episode: Register here for (free) online event with William Peters and The Shift Network: Discover the Shared Death Experience * Previous interview with Shoshana Ungerleider MD * Check out From Scratch here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Michele Duncan King, Arianna Workman, and Katrina Marcuse-Sharratt! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn how to counteract the misinformation about death in modern media and teach people the truth about the natural dying process.
In this episode I welcome back my recurring guest Barbara Karnes who is a hospice nurse, international speaker, and author of the books Gone From My Sight: The Dying Experience and By Your Side: A Guide for Caring for the Dying at Home. We discuss her slogan “People don’t die like they do in the movies” and how popular media, including television, film and books, provide misleading and inaccurate portrayals of the dying process. Learn how to get a T-shirt with the slogan on her website:
www.bkbooks.com
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* How movies and television programs misinform people about death and dying * The consequences of inaccurate portrayals of the end of life in popular media * What the natural dying process actually looks like * The “work” of dying and how to support a person in the process * Why we can’t expect a dying loved one to do or say something to support us * How a person’s breathing changes before death * Preparation for the dying process helps loved one be more present at the bedside * How CPR is depicted in medical TV shows as a miracle procedure that works most of the time * The actual facts about CPR * Confusion in advance care planning due to misinformation * Choosing the right healthcare proxy
Links mentioned in this episode: Register here for (free) online event with William Peters and The Shift Network: Discover the Shared Death Experience * Previous interview with William Peters: Episode 329 * Get a “People don’t die like they do in the movies” T-shirt here * Previous interview with Barbara Karnes: Episode 376 * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patron Sharon Patterson! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn some of the positive developments around end-of-life issues that took place in 2022.
This is the last episode of 2022 and I’m sharing some of the best “good news” stories I’ve seen this year about progress we’ve made around care at the end of life. Every month I curate end-of-life news stories for my supporters on Patreon and I’ve made note of some encouraging developments that I present to you today. Watch this on YouTube if you’d like to see slides or enjoy listening to the audio. Meanwhile, farewell to 2022 and best wishes for a Happy New Year!
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* The Lancet Commission on the Value of Death calls for a global paradigm shift on death and dying * NHPCO works to improve equity in death and dying and decrease racial disparities in care * Studies document inequities in end-of-life care * Plan to train community workers to do outreach in underserved areas * Recognizing the emotional and spiritual aspects of the dying process * Federal legislation to create a national strategy on grief and to expand advance care planning * Studies on caregiver stress and model for paying family caregivers * Best and worst places to die in the US * Studies on use of psychedelics to decrease anxiety at end of life * Virtual reality similar to psilocybin in reducing anxiety * “Death Tech” and media coverage of death both on the rise * Human composting now legal in 5 states
Links mentioned in this episode: Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to those who have made a donation through Paypal or bought me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn how to create a meaningful life and prepare for death with tools to help death doulas, hospice staff, and loved ones navigate the end of life.
My guest Diane Button is a founding partner of the Bay Area End-of-Life Doula Alliance in Northern California and an instructor for the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine End-of-Life Doula Professional Certificate Program. She is also the author of Dear Death: Finding Meaning in Life, Peace in Death and Joy in an Ordinary Day and she shares insights she gathered from research she did for her masters degree and from working with hospice and doula clients over the past decade. Learn more at the website:
www.dianebutton.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes: What led Diane to become a death doula * The inspiration behind Dear Death * The 4 pillars of a meaningful life and how Diane gathered this information * Why legacy projects are important and how to create one * What does it take to have a “good death” * Why Diane created The Doula’s Final Checklist * The “Mint Jelly” exercise for talking about death * Where to get Dear Death* and the companion workbook
Links mentioned in this episode: Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest patrons Lyn Canale and Donelle Dreese and thank you Joy for increasing your pledge! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about a charitable foundation that helps hospice patients with the simple needs of life to bring them dignity and comfort.
My guest Marsha Filion is the Executive Director of Hospice Help Foundation, a 501(c)3 charitable organization that provides financial assistance to hospice patients in need. After training as a hospice volunteer she joined the foundation to help bring dignity and comfort to people at the end of life. She will discuss how Hospice Help Foundation functions and why many hospice patients require additional support for services not provided by Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance. Learn more at the website:
www.hhelpfoundation.org
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* Why Marsha was drawn to work as a volunteer in hospice * How Hospice Help Foundation began and what it does * The types of support offered by the foundation * Why additional support is necessary and important for many hospice patients * How patients apply for help from the foundation and who is eligible * Stories of people who have benefitted from the support of the foundation
Links mentioned in this episode: Donate to Hospice Help Foundation here * A Year of Reading Dangerously – Register here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal*
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially Bob Hoffman for increasing your pledge and thanks to Ed Modell for your donation through PayPal! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about a beautiful new book that explores how death teaches us, through many varied experiences of loss, how to truly live.
My guest Barbara Becker is an interfaith minister and a strategic communications consultant specializing in strengthening the voice of the non-profit community, working with the United Nations, Human Rights First, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh. She is also the author of the book Heartwood: The Art of Living with the End in Mind and she shares the important lessons she has learned from death and loss throughout her life. Learn more about her work at the website:
www.barbarabecker.com
Get the book here
Watch on YouTube
Listen here:
This episode includes:* What inspired Barbara to become an interfaith minister and to volunteer in hospice * How her work in hospice informed her own feelings about death * What is “heartwood” and why it is a fitting title for the book * How Barbara turned to her own book for guidance when she faced a health crisis of her own * The one question we should ask ourselves to live a more purposeful life * What we can learn about coping with death and grief from religious traditions outside of our own * Advice to help family caregivers cope with caring for loved ones with Alzheimer’s * How to cope with the first holiday season while grieving the death of a loved one
Links mentioned in this episode: A Year of Reading Dangerously – Register here * Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram * Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, occasional movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! * Buy me a coffee * Donate on Paypal * If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu*, and to Patricia Rux for donating on Paypal ! Your contributions make all the difference.
Learn about a short film that was created to encourage people to plan for and have conversations about the end of life. In this episode I welcome two guests to discuss the short film Honoring Choices that is a powerful tool for persuading people to plan for and talk about the end of life. Elizabeth… Continue reading Ep. 379 Honoring Choices: A Film to Inspire End-of-Life Planning with Elizabeth Coplan and Halle Williams
Learn how this television chef and blogger used humor to help her navigate life as a widow. My guest Laurie Burrows Grad is a cookbook author and television chef who began blogging about grief, widowhood, and survival after the death of her husband Peter. She shares how she used humor to help her navigate life… Continue reading Ep. 378 Surviving Grief with Humor with Laurie Burrows Grad
Learn about a model for a non-medical home that is changing how we provide end-of-life care. My guest Dr. Aditi Sethi is a hospice and palliative care physician and end-of-life doula. She is the founder and executive director of the Center for Conscious Living and Dying, a community supported end-of-life care home near Asheville NC.… Continue reading Ep. 377 Center for Conscious Living and Dying: An End-of-Life Care Home with Aditi Sethi, MD
Learn some simple steps to honor the sacredness of the moments before and after death. My favorite guest Barbara Karnes, RN is back for another episode where we talk about issues in hospice care. Barbara is an internationally recognized speaker and expert on end-of-life care. She is author of the popular booklet Gone from My Sight… Continue reading Ep. 376 Creating a Sacred Space at the Moment of Death with Barbara Karnes, RN
Learn how our grief touches the two worlds of sorrow and joy and how we can navigate these turbulent times. My guest Dr. Sherry Walling is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, author and mental health advocate. She helps entrepreneurs and leaders navigate transition, loss, and complex human experience. Sherry is the author of Touching Two… Continue reading Ep. 375 Touching Two Worlds: Finding Hope After Loss with Sherry Walling PhD
Learn how The Death Deck helps people have important and necessary conversations about death and dying. My guests today are the co-creators of The Death Deck, a card game to help inspire conversations about death, dying and grief. Lisa Pahl LCSW is a Hospice Social Worker and ER Crisis Interventionist. Lori LoCicero is a writer… Continue reading Ep. 374 Why We Need to Talk About Death with Lisa Pahl LCSW and Lori LoCicero
Learn about some educational webinars to help unique groups of people learn about grief and also why we need to pay attention to grief after all types of loss. My guest Lindsey Whissel Fenton is a senior producer and director at WPSU, the PBS/NPR affiliate station in Central Pennsylvania. She produced, directed, and wrote the… Continue reading Ep. 373 Speaking Grief: On Divorce, Pet Death, and Other Losses with Lindsey Whissel Fenton
Learn about the importance of having a directive to let others know about your spiritual wishes at the end of life, even if you are not religious or spiritual. My guest Rhonda LoPresti is an end-of-life coach, home funeral guide and longtime practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. She has created a Spiritual Care Directive for Buddhists… Continue reading Ep. 372 Creating a Spiritual Care Directive with Rhonda LoPresti
Learn how a bioethicist found himself in a decision-making dilemma after his own father suffered a healthcare crisis and was on a ventilator in the ICU. My guest Travis Rieder is a bioethicist and the director of the Master of Bioethics degree program at the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. He is also an… Continue reading Ep. 371 Complicated Decisions in the ICU with Travis Rieder
Learn about a free curriculum you can bring to your community to foster conversations about death. My guest Rev. Karen Johnston is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister and the founder of Date with Death Club. Her own spiritual practice centers on “befriending death” and she shares how this led her to create the curriculum for… Continue reading Ep. 370 Date with Death Club: Exploring Mortality in Community with Rev. Karen Johnston
Learn useful tips for caring for a dying loved one at home and how to be better prepared for the challenge. My special return guest is Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, thought leader, and expert on end-of-life care. Barbara is going to be a recurring guest from now on, joining the podcast every other… Continue reading Ep. 369 Practical Tools for Home Caregivers with Barbara Karnes RN
Learn some ideas for how you might teach others in your community about death and dying and why you should. In today’s solo episode I’ll share with you my thoughts on why death education is so essential in our society today. No matter what type of work you do in the end-of-life field (estate attorney,… Continue reading Ep. 368 Why Death Education is Important with Karen Wyatt
Learn how this man’s experience with grief led him to start a Death Café in Japan and become a death doula and Willow EOL educator. My guest Masatoshi Shoji is a licensed acupuncturist, health communicator and medical translator in Sendai Japan. He started Death Café Sendai in his hometown in 2015 and since then has… Continue reading Ep. 367 Increasing Death Awareness in Japan with Masatoshi Shoji
Learn about a creative game to help foster conversations about death. My guest Angela Fama is an artist and photographer who lives in Vancouver Canada and is also a recently trained death doula. She created the Death Conversation Game and facilitates online seasonal Let’s Talk About Death conversations. She will share how she became interested… Continue reading Ep. 366 The Death Conversation Game and Talking About Death with Angela Fama
Learn the benefits of having a personal practice to increase our death-awareness. In this encore solo episode I’ll be sharing with you research that shows that the human brain has a primal mechanism to protect us from thinking about and acknowledging our own personal death. Even those of us who study death and teach others… Continue reading Ep. 365 How to Life a Death-Aware Life with Karen Wyatt MD (ENCORE)
Learn about a charming book of wisdom shared by a mother to her daughter and how it touches on the universal experience of loss and grief. In this episode I’m welcoming my daughter Gia Snyder as my co-host. Gia is a spiritual teacher and musician, who is currently in nursing school to become an RN.… Continue reading Ep. 364 What to Do When I’m Gone: Mothers and Daughters on Loss and Grief with Hallie Bateman, Suzy Hopkins, and Gia Snyder
Learn how this hospice nurse is supporting other nurses by providing employment that allows them to improve their work-life balance. My guest Shelley Henry has been a registered nurse for over 30 years, with 20 of those years served in hospice. She is the creator of the popular Instagram channel For Hospice Nurses where she… Continue reading Ep. 363 Support for Hospice Nurses with Shelley Henry RN
Learn about an innovative cruise that focuses on grief support and memorialization of loved ones. My guest Linda Findlay is an Aftercare Coordinator for funeral homes and a hospice bereavement support group facilitator. She is also the founder of The Grief Cruises™ and has escorted four groups on special cruises for the purpose of healing… Continue reading Ep. 362 The Grief Cruises™: Travel to Heal Grief and Honor Loved Ones with Linda Findlay
Learn about a novel that explores the moral dilemma of a son whose father asks him to end his suffering by hastening his death. My guest John Byrne Barry is a writer, designer, actor, pickleball player, and crossing guard. He is the author of the novel When I Killed My Father: An Assisted-Suicide Family Thriller… Continue reading Ep. 361 Exploring End-of-Life Controversies Through Fiction Writing with John Byrne Barry
Learn why community is important for all of us as we work to improve the end of life in our society. Today I’m welcoming two guests to the podcast: Jo-Anne Haun and Karen Hendrickson who are the co-founders of the Death Doula Network of BC. Jo-Anne is a professional end-of-life doula, hospice volunteer, and therapy… Continue reading Ep. 360 Creating Community for Death Doulas with Jo-Anne Haun and Karen Hendrickson
Learn how discovering his father’s old slides helped Zander heal his longstanding grief and understand his father’s story. My guest Zander Masser is an occupational therapist, husband, father, musician and author of the newly released narrative photography book Unburying My Father. The book chronicles his 10-year project of exploring his own grief while sorting through… Continue reading Ep. 359 Unburying My Father: A Grief Project with Zander Masser
Find out what happens when a body is donated to science and how cadavers have benefitted the living through various types of research. My guest Mary Roach is the author of multiple New York Times bestsellers including STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, which has sold over 1 million copies and been translated into… Continue reading Ep. 358 STIFF: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers with Mary Roach
My guest Jeremy Damec has a master’s in Counseling Psychology and has worked with youth and families in San Francisco and in Mexico providing therapeutic services and developing community programs to support family and youth development. After his mother’s death from cancer in 2009 and following his own personal journey of grief, he began in… Continue reading Ep. 357 The Hidden Grief of the Replacement Child with Jeremy Damec
Dr. Ira Byock takes an honest and challenging look at worrisome issues within the hospice and palliative care field. My guest today is Dr. Ira Byock who is a leading palliative care physician, author, and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. He is the Founder and Chief Medical Officer for the… Continue reading Ep. 356 What Keeps Me Up at Night (about Hospice and Palliative Care) with Ira Byock MD
Learn about the history and importance of Irish mourning rituals. My guest Mary McLaughlin is a singer/songwriter and teacher who studies and teaches workshops about Irish singing and technique and Gaelic song and culture. She has recorded five CD’s to international acclaim, written two song books and completed a PhD in Irish Otherworld Song. Today… Continue reading Ep. 355 Irish Keening and Wakes: Traditional Mourning Rituals with Mary McLaughlin
Learn about the basics of hospice care, when to consider it, how to talk about it with others, and what to expect during the dying process. My guest Barbara Karnes RN is an internationally recognized author, speaker, thought leader and expert on end of life care. She is the author of the “little blue hospice… Continue reading Ep. 354 The Hospice Journey: A Step-by-Step Guide with Barbara Karnes RN
Learn practical tips for navigating the caregiving journey and grief after the death of a spouse. My guest Jill Johnson-Young is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has worked in hospice and as a therapist specializing in grief, loss, dementia, and trauma. She shares her personal journey as a caregiver for two spouses and as… Continue reading Ep. 353 The Rebellious Widow: Love and Life After Loss with Jill Johnson-Young
Learn about fascinating end-of-life rituals from cultures around the world. My guest Gary Wederspahn is a board member of the Final Exit Network and the author of a book and many articles on cross-cultural communications and relations. He has served as a Peace Corps Director in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Ecuador and has traveled in… Continue reading Ep. 352 Cross-Cultural End-of-Life Practices with Gary Wederspahn
Learn how the death of her son inspired Dianne Gray’s current work as a death doula and patient advocate. My guest Dianne Gray is a death doula, grief specialist and the Chief Innovation and Patient Advocacy Officer at Acclivity Health. After her son’s death from a rare neurodegenerative disorder she has dedicated her life to… Continue reading Ep. 351 Grief and the Best and Worst of Times with Dianne Gray
Learn how this non-profit organization is working to solve gaps in end-of-life care in their community. My guests Elizabeth Johnson and Erin Collins are the founders and creators of the non-profit Peaceful Presence Project with a mission of helping communities live well, age well and die well by reimagining the way we talk about, plan… Continue reading Ep. 350 Meeting the End-of-Life Needs of Your Community with Elizabeth Johnson and Erin Collins RN
Learn about the hospice experience from the perspective of a family member. My guest Kathleen Vallee Stein worked for the California Department of Aging and has written numerous articles on caring for aging patents for more than twenty years. Her work has been published in the Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Pasadena Star-News, Orange… Continue reading Ep. 349 Why My Family Chose Hospice with Kathleen Vallee Stein
Learn about a new platform that helps people create their own obituary or legacy project to benefit their loved ones after death. My guests are Maggie Gannon, an Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist who started My Living Obituary, and Heidi Connolly, an author, musician and intuitive coach who helps people write their obituaries. Maggie created… Continue reading Ep. 348 My Living Obituary: Legacy Therapy at the End of Life with Maggie Gannon and Heidi Connolly
Learn about the status of palliative care in developing nations around the world and how IAHPC is working to increase global access. My guest Katherine Pettus is the Senior Advocacy Director for The International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care. In this role she meets with delegates at the United Nations to increase the understanding… Continue reading Ep. 347 The Global Palliative Care Movement with Katherine Pettus
The everyday wisdom of people just like you who are facing their own mortality. As a hospice doctor I have had the privilege throughout my medical career of sitting at the bedsides of hundreds of patients. I have listened to their stories, answered their questions and shared their concerns as they faced the gradual decline… Continue reading What My Hospice Patients Want You to Know
Learn how common it is for people to have complicated financial issues to deal with after the death of a loved one and how this company can help. My guest Matthew Van Drimmelen is the owner and founder of Full-Circle Aftercare, a company he created to help people deal with the stress and worry of… Continue reading Ep. 346 Settling Estate Issues After the Death of a Loved One with Matthew Van Drimmelen
Learn how personalized text messages can help with the grief process for the bereaved and their support persons. My guest Emma Payne is a seasoned entrepreneur and MIT graduate who is the founder and CEO of Grief Coach, a company that provides meaningful support to those who are experiencing loss and bereavement. She shares how… Continue reading Ep. 345 Grief Coach: How Text-Based Support Can Help with Grief with Emma Payne
Learn some quick and easy stress management tools to improve health and joy during challenging times. My guest Roger Moore is a certified hypnotherapist who helps people at the end of life with anxiety, depression, pain and other symptoms. His latest book Becoming the Greatest Expression of You contains tips and practices for overcoming the… Continue reading Ep. 344 Tools for Caregivers to Manage Stress and Increase Joy with Roger Moore
Hear award-winning journalist Diane Rehm discuss what she learned about Medical Aid in Dying through conversations with people both for and against these laws. My special guest Diane Rehm was the host of The Diane Rehm Show on WAMU and NPR for nearly 40 years with a weekly on-air audience of more than 2.8 million… Continue reading Ep. 343 When My Time Comes: Conversations About Medical Aid in Dying with Diane Rehm
Learn how the brain changes and learns in response to loss and grief. My guest Dr. Mary-Frances O’Connor is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, which investigates the effects of grief on the brain and the body. She discusses her… Continue reading Ep. 342 The Grieving Brain: The Science of Love and Loss with Mary-Frances O’Connor PhD
Learn about the beauty of full-body burial at sea and why it is becoming a more popular alternative. My guest Olivia Bareham is a certified Death Midwife, Home Funeral Guide, Interfaith Minister and Funeral Celebrant. She is the founder of the Sacred Crossings Institute, which provides education for death midwifery and home funeral support and… Continue reading Ep. 341 Burial at Sea and Other Sacred End-of-Life Rituals with Olivia Bareham
Focus on the goodness of life rather than the regrets to find healing. Jody was just 36 years old when she found out her colon cancer was incurable. I came to her apartment for our first hospice visit and saw that she was depressed and despondent over her diagnosis—as I had expected for someone her… Continue reading Finding Meaning in a Broken Life
Learn about the current crisis in family caregiving and what you can do to help. My guest Dr. Jessica Zitter is a specialist in Critical Care and Palliative Care medicine and the author of the book Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life. Her work is featured in the documentary Extremis… Continue reading Ep. 340 Caregiver Crisis: Meeting the Needs of the Future with Jessica Zitter MD
Learn how paying attention to the small details of the surroundings can make a big difference in the wellbeing of hospice patients.
Learn how Terri Daniel and I used our experiences with loss and grief to motivate the work we do today. In this episode I’m featuring a conversation I had with the Rev. Dr. Terri Daniel on the Ask Doctor Death Podcast, of which I am an occasional co-host. Terri is the creator of the former… Continue reading Ep. 338 Ask Doctor Death: Tough Questions About Tough Topics with Terri Daniel and Karen Wyatt
Why it’s not helpful to ask dying people what they regret about their lives and what to do instead. “Don’t waste your time in anger, regrets, worries, and grudges. Life is too short to be unhappy.” Roy T. Bennett For some reason there’s been a buzz in the last few years about finding out what… Continue reading Don’t Focus on Regrets at the End of Life
Learn about a beautiful, artistic journal that explores the caregiver's journey through dying and grief.
How a song about a meadowlark reconnected me to my father’s love across the vast and timeless universe. We had just finished dinner with two old friends we hadn’t seen in years when they invited us to check out their music room. Inside we found a stereophile’s dream–massive speakers, a state-of-the-art turntable and an enviable… Continue reading Love Never Dies
Learn why forests are the cemeteries of the future. My guest Sandy Gibson is the co-founder and CEO of Better Place Forests, a sustainable alternative to traditional cemeteries for families who choose cremation. Sandy founded several companies and worked in finance and software before founding Better Place Forests. He shares how experiencing significant loss early… Continue reading Ep. 336 Better Place Forests: Reimagining Cemeteries with Sandy Gibson
Learn about the Death Café movement and how and why to start a Death Café in your community. My guest Megan Mooney has worked with Death Café since 2013, shortly after the movement was introduced to the US from London. She has experience in hospice and end-of-life research and currently works as the director of… Continue reading Ep. 335 Death Cafe: Cake, Coffee and Talking About Death with Megan Mooney
Learn about an exciting environmentally friendly option for disposition after death. My guests today are Micah Truman, the CEO and Founder of Return Home.com, and Brie Smith who is the Services Director for the company. Return Home is designed to ensure a sustainable future for the planet by using terramation, an environmentally friendly option for… Continue reading Ep. 334 Terramation: A Green Option for Death Care with Micah Truman and Brie Smith
Learn how the practice of “death cleaning” can simplify your life and help you prepare for the end of life. In this first solo episode of 2022 I share what I’ve been learning about the Swedish practice of döstädning, which translates as “death cleaning.” This idea was first shared by Margareta Magnusson in her book… Continue reading Ep. 333 Swedish “Death Cleaning”: The Perfect Way to Begin a New Year with Karen Wyatt
Learn about exciting new technology that promises to help more patients be referred for hospice and palliative care in a timely manner. My guest Jeremy Powell is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Acclivity Health Solutions, a company that aims to transform the management of advanced illness while honoring the patient’s dignity, goals and… Continue reading Ep. 332 Technology Advances for End-of-Life Care with Jeremy Powell
Learn how the innovations of the past year are going to create more positive change in 2022! In this final episode of 2021 I’ll share with you some of the innovations of 2021 that are going to be driving further change in the coming year. I’ll remind you of some of the conversations from this… Continue reading Ep. 331 Looking Ahead to 2022
Learn about the paradigm-shifting work of Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross and how her son carries on her legacy through the EKR Foundation. My guest Ken Ross, son of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, is the founder and current president of the EKR Foundation. He discusses the foundation’s mission, which is to enhance compassionate care for the seriously ill… Continue reading Ep. 330 The Legacy of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross with Ken Ross
Learn about shared death experiences and how they can lessen the fear of death and help with grief. My guest William Peters is the founder of the Shared Crossing Project and is recognized by many as the world’s leading authority on the shared death experience (SDE). He discusses SDEs and what he has learned through… Continue reading Ep. 329 Shared Death Experiences: How They Transform Dying and Living with William Peters
Learn how to tell if you’ve been called to be a “deathwalker” and how to offer sacred care to others at the end of life. My guest Sarah Kerr has been a death doula, ritual healing practitioner, and trainer since 2012. She draws on nature-based spirituality, sacred sciences, and the richness of the human soul… Continue reading Ep. 328 Sacred Death Care and the Deathwalker Archetype with Sarah Kerr PhD
Learn about the unique stories gathered by a hospice nurse who works primarily on-call during after-hours shifts. My guest Pepper Cappuccio is a registered nurse who has worked in hospice care for over 12 years. As an on-call nurse who frequently works evenings and weekends he is often present at the time of death for… Continue reading Ep. 327 Warm Water: The Last Act of Compassion in Hospice Care with Pepper Cappuccio RN
Learn how a grief therapist coped with his own grief by turning to baking and creating a cookbook/grief book. My guest Chase Cassine is a licensed clinic social worker who proves individual therapy at a local community health clinic in New Orleans where he assists clients through grief, loss, depression, anxiety, adjustment issues, and communication… Continue reading Ep. 326 The Sweetest Therapy: How Baking Heals Grief with Chase Cassine LCSW
Learn how palliative care can meet the healthcare needs of the future. My guest Dr. John Mulder is a pioneering member of the palliative care specialty. He currently serves as chief medical consultant for hospice and palliative car at Holland Home, the largest provider of elder care services in Michigan. He also serves as executive… Continue reading Ep. 325 Palliative Care: What’s Needed Now and in the Future with John Mulder MD
Learn how to meet the unique needs of veterans and their families as they face the end of life. My guest Qwynn Galloway-Salazar is a behavioral health professional and end-of-life doula who, as an Army veteran herself, specializes in the needs of veterans and their families facing end-of-life challenges. She discusses her work strengthening behavioral… Continue reading Ep. 324 End-of-Life Care for Veterans with Qwynn Galloway-Salazar
Learn why self-care and love are essential tools to master right now as we navigate these days of grief, transformation and healing. My guest Suzanne O’Brien is a hospice and wellness nurse, international speaker, and bestselling author. She the founder and creator of The International Doulagivers® Institute and the Doulagivers® Life Class and Wellness Membership.… Continue reading Ep. 323 Self-Care Tools for 2021 and Why We Need Them Now with Suzanne O’Brien RN
Learn some helpful tools for dealing with grief even when it seems out of order or controversial. In this episode I talk about things I’ve learned from my guests over the past two years about dealing with grief during the COVID pandemic. I share clips from two special episodes and lots of resources to help… Continue reading Ep. 322 Dealing with Disenfranchised Grief in a Polarized Society
Learn how an endurance athlete cycled 5,000 miles and interviewed 15 people to gain greater understanding of cancer and the emotions it creates. My guest David Richman is an author, public speaker, philanthropist and endurance athlete who completed a 5,000-mile bike ride and interviewed 15 people along the way whose lives had been touched by… Continue reading Ep. 321 Cycle of Lives: A 5,000-Mile Journey to Explore Cancer’s Emotional Chaos with David Richman
Learn about an online marketplace for caskets that is a game-changer for the funeral industry. My three guests–Scott Ginsberg, Liz Siegel, and Josh Siegel–are the co-founders of Titan Casket, an online marketplace that sells caskets directly to consumers. The mission of Titan Casket is “to offer designer caskets at revolutionary prices, while driving affordability and… Continue reading Ep. 320 Disrupting the Casket Industry: Titan Casket Online with Scott Ginsberg, Liz Siegel, and Josh Siegel
Learn how this hospice nurse and end-of-life doula is making a difference by sharing the tools she has learned. My guest Gabrielle Elise Jimenez is a hospice nurse, end-of-life doula and conscious dying educator. She is also the author of three books intended to teach others how to provide care to their own dying loved… Continue reading Ep. 319 At the Bedside: Tools for Caring for the Dying with Gabrielle Elise Jimenez
Learn how telling stories can make you a better and more effective teacher about end-of-life issues. In this solo episode I share some of the research around the power of stories to teach and to change behavior, which is why we should all be using stories when we are working with people around end-of-life issues.… Continue reading Ep. 318 How to Use Stories to Teach About Death and Dying
Learn about a helpful and humorous workbook for funeral planning. My guest Kathy Benjamin is a freelance writer whose work has appeared on various sites including Uproxx, Playboy’s The Smoking Jacket, and Cracked.com. She is the author Funerals to Die For and the recently released It’s Your Funeral: Plan the Celebration of a Lifetime Before… Continue reading Ep. 317 It’s Your Funeral! A “Fun” Guide to Planning for the End with Kathy Benjamin
Learn why being present and quiet can be the best way to help people at the end of life. Deanna Cochran, hospice nurse, EOL doula, and founder of the CareDoula® School of Accompanying the Dying returns in this episode for Part 2 of our “deep dive” conversation (check out Part 1 here.) We talk about… Continue reading Ep. 316 “Deep Dive” Part 2: COVID, Self-Care and Meeting People Where They Are with Deanna Cochran RN
Learn the “long-view” of end-of-life care and how hospice care has changed over time to now include death doulas. My guest Deanna Cochran is a registered nurse with certification in hospice and palliative care who has served as a private EOL doula since 2005, so she is truly a pioneer in the movement. She is… Continue reading Ep. 315 “Deep Dive” Part 1: Hospice and EOL Doulas with Deanna Cochran RN
Learn why focusing on your mortality opens the door to finding deeper meaning in life. My guest Kate Manser is the inspiring visionary creator of YOU MIGHT DIE TOMORROW, a movement to help people really live before they die. She is the author of the book You Might Die Tomorrow and The ALIVE Workbook, which… Continue reading Ep. 314 Why Death Awareness is the Key to Your Best Life with Kate Manser
Learn about an innovative new smart phone app that provides connection and inspiration for people experiencing grief. My guest Reid Peterson is the creator of Grief Refuge, a website which provides tools, resources and support to help navigate grief’s lonely journey. He has also created the Grief Refuge mobile phone app that provides daily support… Continue reading Ep. 313 Technology and Grief: The Grief Refuge App with Reid Peterson
Learn the powerful lessons that come from a long career of service to others at the end of life. My guest Zenith Virago is a respected pioneer and acknowledged expert in the fields of holistic death and dying. With over 20 years of experience she provides comfort, information and guidance to assist people through the… Continue reading Ep. 312 The Wisdom of a Deathwalker for Living and Dying Well with Zenith Virago
Learn why hope is a powerful tool that can be harmful or helpful at the end of life. In this solo episode I share some thoughts, concerns, studies, quotes and clips on hope and why it isn’t always a good thing at the end of life. From doctors who refuse to refer patients to hospice… Continue reading Ep. 311 The Conundrum of “Hope” at the End-of-Life
Learn how Kevin Hines survived jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge to become a global speaker on suicide, mental illness, and finding hope in life. My guest Kevin Hines is a storyteller, best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. In the year 2000 Kevin attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge… Continue reading Ep. 310 It’s OK to Talk About Suicide: Finding Safety and Hope Amidst Pain with Kevin Hines
Learn how his sister’s illness and death made this neurosurgeon a better doctor. My guest Dr. Joseph Stern is a partner in the country’s largest neurosurgical group practice in Greensboro, North Carolina. While he has frequently worked with patients and families facing life-limiting illness, his experiences at the bedside of his sister during her nearly… Continue reading Ep. 309 A Neurosurgeon’s Lessons on Love, Loss, and Compassion with Joseph Stern MD
Learn about a new book for children that gently introduces the idea of loss and cherishing our memories. My guest Francesca Lynn Arnoldy is a community doula and educator who developed the University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine’s End-of-LIfe Doula training programs. She is also a bereavement researcher with the Vermont Conversation Lab, and… Continue reading Ep. 308 Map of Memory Lane: A Grief Book for Children with Francesca Arnoldy
Learn how an EOL doula and funeral director in the UK have teamed up to creatively shift the conversation around death and dying. My guests Anna Lyons and Louise Winter are the creative team behind the popular Life.Death.Whatever initiative to redesign the dialogue around death and dying. Anna is an end-of-life doula and Louise is… Continue reading Ep. 307 Life.Death.Whatever: We All Know How This Ends with Anna Lyons and Louise Winter
Learn how a retired hospice director turned a failing hospice home into a thriving charitable organization providing housing for homeless people at the end of life. My guest Penny Davis is a former hospice nurse who went on to get degrees in business, leadership and wellness management. She served as the executive director of a… Continue reading Ep. 306 Providing Hospice Care for Those Without a Home with Penny Davis
Learn how Becky created The Death Dialogues Project after a lifetime of experiences with death gradually called her to this work. My guest Becky Aud-Jennison is the creator and host of The Death Dialogues Project and Podcast, which she created to help bring conversations surrounding death, dying and the aftermath out of the closet. Trained… Continue reading Ep. 305 The Death Dialogues Project: Getting Death Out of the Closet with Becky Aud-Jennison
Learn how men grieve differently than women and about an online community where men can find support. My guest Karl Shackelford is a board-certified chaplain who spent many years working with hospice patients. He is also a certified HeartMath® trainer who helps those struggling with the effects of stress, anxiety and adversity to build resilience.… Continue reading Ep. 304 How Men Grieve: The WE GRIEVE Community with Karl Shackelford
Learn how a “soul companion” for the dying helps ease the fear of death. My guest Judy Hilyard worked as an ICU nurse during her 47-year career and now serves as an Anam Cara, or “soul friend” to the dying. In addition she also fulfills the role of an Anam Aira by accompanying people through… Continue reading Ep. 303 Anam Cara: Soul Companion for the Dying with Judy Hilyard
Learn new tools for dealing with the pain of trauma, loss and grief through an innovative therapy process. My guest Andrew Hahn is a psychologist who has long sought to help people live more contented and healthier lives by blending Eastern and alternative philosophies with his traditional training. He developed Life Centered Therapy based on… Continue reading Ep. 302 Life Centered Therapy for Trauma, Grief and Dying with Andrew Hahn PsyD
Learn how dreams can be a powerful source of healing during grief. My guest Dr. Joshua Black is considered one of the world’s leading academic experts on grief dreams. He is on a mission to raise awareness about the prevalence of impactful dreams during grief and why we should pay attention to them. In this… Continue reading Ep. 301 Grief Dreams and What We Learn From Them with Dr. Joshua Black
Learn why and how to become an EOL Educator through a new program offered by WillowEOL. My guests Michelle Pante and Reena Lazar are co-founders of Willow End of Life Education and Planning and co-authors of 7 Tools for Making Sense of Life & Death, the workbook and the self-study online program. They have also created… Continue reading Ep. 300 Training EOL Educators to Change the World with Michelle Pante and Reena Lazar
Learn some tools for experiencing grief in the physical body and moving it through to promote healing of ancestral trauma. My guest Oceana Sawyer is a death doula and funeral celebrant who utilizes earth-based spirituality, expressive arts and integral counseling psychology in her work. She teaches about the need to feel our emotions in the… Continue reading Ep. 299 Embodied Grieving for Ancestral Trauma and Loss with Oceana Sawyer
Learn how for some of us it’s possible to experience grief without being sad and why that’s okay. My guest Jennifer Mathews is a founding member of the Ashland Death Cafe and the Living/Dying Alliance of Southern Oregon. She is on a mission to shift cultural messages that hold us back from joy and to… Continue reading Ep. 298 Loss Without Sadness: Another View of Grief with Jennifer Mathews
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will help us grieve the deaths of our own mothers on this Mother’s Day. May it bring you peace and comfort. “MOTHER” by NIKITA GILL The water of her womb,… Continue reading Special Episode: Vigil to Honor and Grieve Our Mothers
Learn how to increase your own capacity for compassion toward yourself and others and make the world a better place in the process. In this episode I share some of the research and articles I’ve been reading in the book Compassion: Bridging Practice and Science, edited by Tania Singer and Matthias Bolz. It seems to… Continue reading Ep. 297 Compassion 101: Why We Are Failing and How To Do Better
Learn why and how to support patients who have transpersonal experiences at the end of life. My guest Scott Janssen has been a hospice clinical social worker for almost 30 years. During that time he has been gathering the stories and reports of hundreds of hospice patients who have had transpersonal experiences as death approached.… Continue reading Ep. 296 NDE’s and After Death Communication in Hospice Work with Scott Janssen
Learn about the legal effort to make psilocybin available as a transformative therapy at the end of life. My guest Kathryn Tucker is a Special Counsel at Emerge Law Group where she co-chairs the Psychedelic Practice Group. She is also the Executive Director of the End-of-Life Liberty Project and served two decades as Director of… Continue reading Ep. 295 Psilocybin Therapy at End of Life: The Legal Case with Kathryn Tucker, JD
Learn best practices for creating a meaningful and powerful funeral or memorial service online. My guest Merilynne Rush is an EOL Doula Mentor, Home Funeral Guide, Green Burial Educator, Advance Care Planning Facilitator, Death Cafe host, former hospice nurse, and former home birth midwife. Today she shares her personal experience planning and hosting a virtual… Continue reading Ep. 294 Virtual Funerals and Memorials: How and Why to Hold Them with Merilynne Rush
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for coping with all of the overwhelming changes that have crushed us this past year. May it bring you peace and comfort. Poem: by Ginny Yurich From the… Continue reading Special Episode: Vigil for Coping with Change
Learn about a helpful guidebook for people caring for elderly parents that addresses all the major challenges. My guest Dr. Leslie Kernisan is a practicing geriatrician and the founder of the popular aging health website and podcast Better Health While Aging. She recently published the book When Your Aging Parent Needs Help to answer the… Continue reading Ep. 293 When Your Aging Parent Needs Help: A Step by Step Guide with Leslie Kernisan MD
Learn about a touching and humorous new musical that focuses on the stories of hospice patients and how you can join the audience. My guest Benjamin Kintisch is a Cantor, hospice chaplain, and music teacher when he’s not performing on stage. He has loved singing and performing since childhood and has had used his skills… Continue reading Ep. 292 Life Review: The Hospice Musical – Life, Love and Loss with Benjamin Kintisch
Learn how the funeral business needs to evolve to meet the needs of our changing society. My guest Eric Layer grew up around funeral homes and cemeteries where both of his parents worked. Now as a partner in a marketing advisory firm he has taken a critical look at the funeral business and analyzed what… Continue reading Ep. 291 The Right Way of Death: Restoring the American Funeral Business with Eric Layer
Learn how a hospice worker became a coach who teaches about joy to help navigate grief and loss. My guest Joy Lucinda worked as a health care professional serving hospice patients, persons with dementia and their families for more than 20 years. She now does coaching and consulting to help others share their unique gifts… Continue reading Ep. 290 How to Restore Joy After Loss: Tools and Strategies with Joy Lucinda
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for kindness even while we are brokenhearted by overwhelming grief. May it bring you peace and comfort. Blessing for the Brokenhearted BY JAN RICHARDSON There is no remedy for… Continue reading Special Episode: Vigil for Kindness in the Midst of Overwhelming Grief
Learn about an innovative new app for storing and sharing image and stories of our lives and those of our loved ones. My guest Tim Roberts is an artist, musician, app developer, idea our and dreamer who lives in Calgary Canada. He created the digital legacy project Echobox Memory Vault™ and worked with a developer… Continue reading Ep. 289 Echobox: Preserving the Story of Our Lives with Tim Roberts
Learn about an innovative program to provide end-of-life care to people living on the streets and in shelters in Toronto. My guest Dr. Naheed Dosani is the founder of PEACH, a mobile outreach program that provides palliative care to the homeless on the streets and in the shelters of Toronto. His model led to the… Continue reading Ep. 288 PEACH: Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless with Dr. Naheed Dosani
Learn how writing poetry helped Bruce express his grief and find a connection with others. My guest Bruce Sterling is a writer and poet who earned a degree in psychology and worked in the technology sector for decades. As he compiled his first book of poetry he recognized that a significant number of his verses… Continue reading Ep. 287 Giving Voice to Grief Through Poetry with Bruce Sterling
Learn how a former Buddhist nun brought her gentle, compassionate approach to hospice chaplaincy. ANNOUNCEMENT: The Laughter Yoga Webinar mentioned in this episode has been rescheduled for March 10th due to severe weather-related power outages experienced by the presenter. You can still register using the link below. My guest Tenzin Kiyosaki has been a certified… Continue reading Ep. 286 The Three Regrets: Stories from a Buddhist Hospice Chaplain with Tenzin Kiyosaki
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for the we have been carrying for the past year and help us explore it for the hidden blessings it contains. May it bring you peace and comfort.… Continue reading Special Episode: Vigil for Exploring Our Grief
Learn about the power of laughter to reverse the effects of stress, improve our health and prevent burnout. My guest Janet Carroll has had a dual career with 48 years in nursing and 35 years as a massage therapist, which have given her not only decades of experience in health services, but also a special… Continue reading Ep. 285 Laughter Yoga: Antidote to Burnout with Janet Carroll RN
Learn what the Hero’s Journey can teach us about the dying process and how to support someone on that journey. In this solo episode I share some thoughts about the archetypal Hero’s Journey, conceived by Joseph Campbell as a template for the transformative experiences of our own lives and those who are facing the end… Continue reading Ep. 284 The Hero’s Journey at the End of Life
Learn about video advance directives and how to get involved in this game-changing innovation for the future of advance care planning. In this episode I host three guests – Patty Burgess, Dr. Fred Mirarchi, and Sheila Schultz – who have partnered together to create MIDEO University, the only organization to train and certify Advance Care… Continue reading Ep. 283 Reshaping the Future of Advance Care Planning with Patty Burgess, Fred Mirarchi MD and Sheila Schultz
Listen as Rabbi Steve Leder shares the wisdom learned through caring for the spiritual needs of his temple members at the end of life. My guest Rabbi Steve Leder is the senior rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles and the author of several books including the recently released The Beauty of What Remains:… Continue reading Ep. 282 The Beauty of What Remains with Rabbi Steve Leder
Learn about a book of simple wisdom and tools for grief that can change your entire day. My guest Shelby Forsythia is an author and podcast host who shares a combination of practical tools and intuitive guidance to help grieving people find peace of mind after devastating loss. She discusses her latest book Your Grief,… Continue reading Ep. 281 Your Grief, Your Way: A Daily Guide After Loss with Shelby Forsythia
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for the rightful anger we are all dealing with right now and help us transform it to power. May it bring you peace and comfort. Anger is the… Continue reading Special Episode: Vigil for Transforming Anger
Learn how we can help humanity and the planet get through a challenging new year. In this solo episode I share a discussion about what we can and should bring to the world this year as death-aware, death-positive individuals. During the past year the world has been turned upside down with the global pandemic, economic… Continue reading Ep. 280 What the World Needs From Us in 2021
One of the most challenging years of our lives is drawing to a close and it’s time to honor all of the grief we have experienced. In this final episode of 2020 I share some poems and verses that have helped me give words to the grief I’ve experienced this year. It’s important to grieve… Continue reading Ep. 279 Grieving What Has Been Lost in 2020
Learn why the suffering we have endured in 2020 might be the prelude to growth and transformation in the future. Today I’m sharing with you an interview from the Good Grief Radio Show where host Cheryl Jones talked to me about my new book The Journey from Ego to Soul. We have a wonderful conversation… Continue reading Ep. 278 The Journey from Ego to Soul: Cheryl Jones Interviews Karen Wyatt on Good Grief Radio
Learn how a long journey through cancer prepared Anna to be a hospice volunteer and inspired her spiritual growth. My guest Anna Byrne holds a combined degree in Psychology and Gerontology, is a certified teacher, and has been a coordinator for a hospice society in British Columbia. She survived 4 cancer diagnoses in her 30’s… Continue reading Ep. 277 Seven Year Summer: A Memoir of Two Life and Death Journeys with Anna Byrne
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for love and compassion for all who are oppressed by systemic injustice and by the weight of grief and fear. May it bring you peace and comfort. Rainer… Continue reading Special Episode: Vigil for Those Who Are Oppressed
Learn why this is the perfect month to practice generosity in its many forms. In this solo episode I challenge you to join me in a month of giving as we explore the benefits of generosity to ourselves and others. Now more than ever we need to be willing to give to one another as… Continue reading Ep. 276 A Month of Giving During the COVID Holiday Season
Learn how and why we need to train many more family and paid caregivers to meet the needs of our aging population, especially during COVID-19. My guest Roz Jones is the founder of Jacksonville’s Best Caregivers, an organization in Jacksonville FL that provides short and long term caregivers for facilities and families. She is also… Continue reading Ep. 275 Training Caregivers to Meet the Needs of a Loved One with Roz Jones
For this Thanksgiving holiday enjoy a brief story about Grace and how it meets us where we are! Listen here: Featured Poem: Being Home by Gunilla Norris Many times today I will cross over a threshold. I hope I will catch a few of those times. I need to remember that my life is, in… Continue reading Bonus Episode: The Little Moments of Grace – A Story
Learn some practical ideas for self-care and creative ways to find meaning in the holidays during this stressful time of COVID-19. In this solo episode I share some thoughts about we need to care for ourselves to prevent burnout during this holiday season and some ideas for reimagining our celebrations as we cope with COVID-19.… Continue reading Ep. 274 Self-Care for the Holidays During COVID-19
Learn about new research using psychedelic medications to help patients at the end of life with depression and anxiety. My guest Dr. Ira Byock is a leading palliative care physician, author and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. In this discussion he shares important information about psychedelic medications and the benefits… Continue reading Ep. 273 The Benefits of Psychedelics for End-of-Life Patients with Ira Byock MD
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for love and compassion for all of humankind and for the planet itself. May it bring you peace and comfort. For Lost Friends by John O’Donohue As… Continue reading Special Episode: Vigil for Embracing Our Enemies with Love
Learn how it’s possible to experience growth and transformation through all types of suffering and trauma in life. My guest David Roland is a clinical psychologist and the author of the book The Power of Suffering: Growing through life crises, which draws together the real life stories of 11 people who survived crises and grew… Continue reading Ep. 272 The Power of Suffering: Growing Through Life Crises with David Roland
Learn how a gratitude practice can change your brain and your life for the better according to research. In this solo episode I share some of the impressive research that has been conducted about the benefits of practicing gratitude on a regular basis. As we continue to face uncertainty, loss, grief, polarization, inequality and divisiveness… Continue reading Ep. 271 A Month of Gratitude to Bring Light to the Darkness
Learn why workers in the end-of-life field can benefit from basic business skills whether they practice in a volunteer or for-profit model. My guest Kimberly King Wise is a certified End-of-Life Doula and Home Funeral Guide and also has years of experience as a business manager and virtual assistant. She discusses how business knowledge and… Continue reading Ep. 270 Sustainable Business Skills for the Death-Positive Movement with Kimberly King Wise
Learn how to restore sacredness to grief and embrace those who are often excluded from the shared grief experience. My guest Joél Simone Anthony is a licensed funeral director and sacred grief practitioner in Atlanta, Georgia. She utilizes spirituality that is deeply rooted in ancient wisdom in her work guiding families toward healing after a… Continue reading Ep. 269 Disenfranchised Grief and Sacred Rituals for Healing with Joél Simone Anthony
Learn how to utilize ancient techniques in caring for the dying in this modern world. My guest Anne-Marie Keppel is a death doula and home funeral guide who will share with us some of the ancient techniques of death care that she utilizes in her work as a community death care provider. She is the… Continue reading Ep. 268 Death Nesting: Bringing Together Ancient and Modern Death Care with Anne-Marie Keppel
In this solo episode I share my thoughts on the fact that joy and sorrow are interwoven throughout our lives just as life and death are inextricable connected. Using stories and poetry I discuss how to carry both joy and sorrow without denying or repressing the pain of our personal and collective grief. Listen here:… Continue reading Ep. 267 Holding All the Joy and All the Sorrow
Learn about the journey of a remarkable young musician through cancer, death and the afterlife and how he continues to inspire people. My guests Shelley Buck and Kathy Curtis are the co-authors of the book Leave Your Light On, which details the journey of Shelley’s son Ryder through cancer and his subsequent death in a… Continue reading Ep. 266 Leave Your Light On: The Life and Afterlife of Ryder Buck with Shelley Buck and Kathy Curtis
Learn how finding the goodness of life can give you hope for our current situation. In today’s solo episode I share some thoughts about the hopelessness many of us are feeling right now as we deal with unimaginable crisis and loss here on planet Earth. I also talk about how important hope is for our… Continue reading Ep. 265 Finding Hope in Difficult Times
Learn how grief and loss can be the fuel for spiritual growth. My guest Brian Smith is a certified life coach and grief guide who suffered his own grief experience after the tragic death of his daughter. Through his personal journey of navigating grief he discovered techniques for surviving loss that led to writing the… Continue reading Ep. 264 Grief 2 Growth: Loss, Consciousness, and Overcoming Racism with Brian Smith
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for love and compassion for all of humankind and for the planet itself. May it bring you peace and comfort.
Learn about a beautiful film and online initiative that teach our grief-avoidant society how to be in touch with grief and how to support those who are grieving.
My guest Lindsey Whissel Fenton is a film producer and Emmy award-winning storyteller who is passionate about using public media to build empathy. She produced, directed and wrote the documentary “Speaking Grief” and contributes to the initiative by the same name with a desire to explore the reality of grief and create a more grief-aware society. Learn more at the websites:
www.speakinggrief.org
www.lindseywhisselfenton.com
Listen here:
This episode includes: * How Lindsey became inspired to create a documentary about grief * Why Speaking Grief is important right now in light of the COVID-19 pandemic * Why we tend to avoid the topic of grief and the harm that causes * How to be with people who are grieving * The diverse range of grief experiences and why all grievers need to be validated * The resources available on the Speaking Grief website: + Understanding grief + Supporting grief + Stories of grief + Grief experts * Where to view the film * How to arrange a screening for a discussion group
Links mentioned in this episode: * Workshop with Suzanne O’Brien: Top Lessons Learned from Those at the End of Life – learn more here * Video from Life Class: view here * Blog: Seeing the Light – Over Lobster Tempura * Blog: Something Beautiful is Happening * Event Planning Guide for Speaking Grief * Watch the documentary here * Upcoming airdates for the film
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn how an innovative company is contracting with insurers to educate patients about decision-making around advanced illnesses.
My guest Tracy Brubaker is the COO of Vital Decisions, a company founded by Dr. Jessica Zitter to focus on changing the way people with advanced illness receive care by encouraging advance care planning. She shares how Vital Decisions contracts with insurers to provide education and counseling to their clients and the impact they are having on end-of-life care. Learn more about Vital Decisions at the website:
www.vitaldecisions.net
Listen here:
This episode includes: * What inspired the creation of Vital Decisions * How Vital Decisions works with insurers to educate their clients and guide them through advance care planning at no cost to the patient * Why Vital Decisions chooses Masters level clinicians as their team members * How team members initiate and structure conversations about end-of-life issues * The two most common motivations for people to decide to complete their advance directives * 60-70% of Vital Decisions clients complete their paperwork and have conversations with the important people in their lives * Benefits to patients and insurers: fewer inpatient and ER visits, less unwanted aggressive treatment, and lower costs at end of life * How the My Living Voice program helps healthy individuals easily complete an advance directive online at no cost * How the Guided Living Voice program educates patients and their families about palliative care
Links mentioned in this episode: * Workshop on Top Lessons for Living from Those at the End of Life – sign up now to get the early discount rate! * Register here for FREE Life Class with Suzanne O’Brien (and me!) on September 3rd! * Previous interview with Dr. Jessica Zitter * My Living Voice from Vital Decisions
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn how a “gap of care” exists for patients who have near-death experiences in the hospital that are not validated or believed.
My two guests, Heidi Walsh and Lilia Samoilo worked together on a project to gather stories of near-death experiencers and how they were perceived and treated by the healthcare system after their extraordinary NDE’s. Lilia is an NDE educator who herself has experienced multiple NDE’s and Heidi is the managing editor for Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics: A Journal of Qualitative Research. They discuss the findings of the symposium they created and why more education about NDE’s is needed for healthcare practitioners.
Learn more about the symposium here.
Listen here:
This episode includes: * The definition of a near-death experience * Why patient stories are helpful in medicine and bioethics * What is the “gap of care” for NDE patients in healthcare settings and how does it harm them * Why this “gap of care” is a bioethical issue that should be addressed * Statistics show that 20% of resuscitated patients have had an NDE but only 2% self-report the experience * How to validate a patient’s experience even if you don’t believe it is possible * How the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics Journal came to create a symposium on NDE’s * Why combat veterans who have had NDE’s are harmed by lack of validation for their experience * Why it is essential that medical providers be trained to recognize and have conversations about NDE’s in order to bridge the gap of care for patients * How the NDE Symposium could be used for teaching purposes but first must be released to open access and how Heidi and Lilia are working to raise money for that * Where to get additional resources (see the links below)
Links mentioned in this episode: * September Workshop with Suzanne O’Brien (and Dr. Wyatt): Top Lessons Learned from Those at the End of Life: How to be Resilient in Difficult Times * Access free articles from the NIB Journal here * Donate to support the open access of the symposium here * NDE resources from the International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS) * Resources for veterans with NDE’s * IANDS NDE Radio with Lee Witting (I was a guest!) * Contact Heidi Walsh: narrativebioethics@gmail.com * Contact Lilia Samoilo: NDE-goc@outlook.com
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn how the lessons learned from patients at the end of life can help us navigate the challenges confronting us right now.
This episode features a conversation with Suzanne B. O’Brien RN, founder of the International Doulagivers Institute as we discuss the many lessons we have each learned from our work with patients at the end of life and how they have helped us grow spiritually. Both of us experienced a profound transformation in our lives because of the wisdom shared by our patients and now benefit from greater resilience that helps us navigate difficult times. As we all face unprecedented challenges due to the global pandemic and economic crisis, now is the right time for everyone to learn these lessons and find greater hope and joy in the small moments of life.
Learn about our upcoming workshop
Listen here:
This episode includes: * How Suzanne and I became inspired to create a workshop together * Why these lessons from the end of life are so important right now * How we each feel that our painful life experiences have been the key to spiritual growth * The recognition that we are all connected in consciousness * Life has a greater meaning than we realize * Why unconditional love is the only thing that really matters in life * How forgiveness deepens our ability to love but is not commonly taught * How our expanded consciousness can help us find our true purpose in life and live authentically * How spiritual growth inspires us to be of service to others
Links mentioned in this episode: * Previous episode on Integral Consciousness * Love Over Fear story on Loving the Unlovable * Vigil for Global Compassion: Audio or Blog * Suzanne’s website: DoulagiversInstitute.com * Link to our upcoming workshop: Top Lessons Learned from Those at the End of Life: How to be Resilient in Difficult Times
- Get 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying here
- Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
- Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
- Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patrons: Stine Relsted. Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn how understanding the integral model can help us cope with crisis and reduce conflict with our fellow humans.
In this solo episode I share some concepts based on Ken Wilber’s integral theory to help us understand why we are at a breaking point in our fragmented society right now. We will look at some new ways of viewing the world and tips for getting through our current crises by strengthening our core values, discerning the truth, and maximizing our ability to make a difference in the world without becoming exhausted.
Listen here:
This episode includes: * Three conflicting perspectives on life and the world that are fragmenting our society + Traditional – “The Good” + Rational – “The True” + Pluralistic – “The Beautiful” * The positive and negative aspects of each perspective * Why each perspective dislikes and distrusts the other two perspectives * How the Integral Perspective transcends and includes each of the other three perspectives (The Good, The True, and The Beautiful) * Tips for maintaining an Integral Perspective + Focus on your core values (what really matters), strengthen them and learn to return to your core during times of stress + Find the truth by learning to listen to your intuition + Care for yourself and others by learning to prioritize your efforts + Manage your fear and anger + Take actions that are clear, focused, impactful, vetted + Preserve your energy for the long haul * How Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs can help you decide where to put your energy * Why we are susceptible to conspiracy theories during times of great stress
Links mentioned in this episode: * IANDS 2020 Virtual Conference * Interview on Grief2Growth Podcast with Brian Smith * Interview on We Don’t Die Radio with Sandra Champlain * Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs * Get 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying here * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patrons: Debi Schauss. Your contributions make all the difference!
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for love and compassion for all of humankind and for the planet itself. May it bring you peace and comfort.
Vigil for Times of Uncertainty VIGIL-Script-August-2020Download
Learn about the issues facing hospice care in the US and how the “heart” of hospice is essential for end-of-life care.
My guests today, Helen Bauer RN and Jerry Fenter, are the hosts of the popular podcast The Heart of Hospice. Having worked as a hospice nurse and hospice chaplain, these two are passionate about offering education and support to anyone who needs information about end-of-life care. Their projects include advance care planning, resources for professional and personal caregivers, and consultations with hospices about staff education. Learn more about their work at their website:
www.theheartofhospice.com
Listen here:
This episode includes: * Why Helen and Jerry started The Heart of Hospice * The challenge of educating the public and medical professionals about the benefits of hospice care * How COVID-19 is impacting hospice care right now * Other difficulties facing hospice care in the US * Reasons to be hopeful about the future of hospice * Self-care tips for professional and personal caregivers * The importance of memorial services for hospice staff to process grief * Resources available from their website
POEM: Compassion by Miller Williams
``` "Have compassion for everyone you meet even if they don’t want it. What seems conceit, bad manners or cynicism is always a sign of things no ears have heard, no eyes have seen. You do not know what wars are going on down there where the spirit meets the bone.”
From - Healing the Divide: Poems of Kindness and Connection - edited by James Crews ```
Links mentioned in this episode: * Interview on the Dr. Pat Show * IANDS 2020 Virtual Conference * Get Healing the Divide here * Get 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying here * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn how to build resiliency to better cope with the overwhelming changes taking place in the world right now.
In this solo episode I talk about the necessity of change in life and what happens when the amount of change we are forced to deal with exceeds our capacity to manage it. I share some thoughts about the consequences of “change fatigue” and how to increase our resiliency to better deal with and grow from the experience of unexpected and unwanted change.
Listen here:
This episode includes: * Why we resist change * Why change is essential for growth * The “Bucket Theory” of change * The consequences of “change fatigue” * The 6 building blocks of resilience: + Values and beliefs + Meaning and purpose + Mindset + Relationships + Physical health + Emotional health * Tips for strengthening your own “building blocks” * Lessons from the dying for coping with change
What the caterpillar calls the end of the world …
the master calls a butterfly.”
– Richard Bach
Links mentioned in this episode: * IANDS 2020 Virtual Conference * Get my book here: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn the inside story of this groundbreaking tour across America to promote conversations about death and dying.
My guest Kimberly Paul last appeared on End-of-Life University 2 years ago as she was preparing to embark on a courageous adventure: traveling across the US in an RV and teaching and talking about death and dying with people she met along the way. Today she returns to the podcast to share her inside stories of the Live Well Die Well Tour and the lessons she learned on her extraordinary journey. She is also the host of Death by Design Podcast and the author of the book Bridging the Gap: Life Lessons from the Dying. Learn more at her website:
www.deathbydesign.com
Listen here:
The Live Well Die Well Tour with Kimberly Paul This episode includes: * What inspired Kimberly to create the Live Well Die Well Tour * How she planned and prepared for her journey * The ups and downs of a 2-year road trip in an RV * Stories of Kimberly’s memorable experiences on the journey (including a special tow truck driver) * How COVID-19 impacted her journey * How she hopes to use the stories she’s gathered from across the country to inform Congress about changes needed to improve end-of-life care in the US * What’s next for Kimberly in her quest to make a difference in how we approach death and dying
Links mentioned in this episode: * My interview on Tell Me Your Story Podcast with Richard Dugan * LIVE interview on The Dr. Pat Show: Thursday July 23rd 10 am Pacific/1 pm Eastern * Get my book here: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying * Get Kimberly’s book here: Bridging the Gap * Previous Interviews with Kimberly on EOLU: + Begin the Conversation + Taking Death on the Road * Death by Design Podcast * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn what happens in the non-physical realm during the dying process according to a death doula and psychic medium.
My guest Debra Diamond is a former Wall Street money manager who left her career to pursue a life of service as a medical intuitive and psychic medium. She shares how she works with hospice patients as a death doula and what she has learned from them about the dying process and after-death experiences. Debra is the author of the book Diary of a Death Doula: 25 Lessons the Dying Teach Us About the Afterlife. Learn more at her website:
www.debradiamondauthor.com
Listen here:
What the Dying Teach Us About the Afterlife This episode includes: * How Debra went from being a money manager to a medium and death doula * Why both the body and the soul need to be ready for death to occur * How dying patients “journey” to non-physical realms, including memories of the past, before they die * Medical science cannot measure or observe the non-physical realm and therefore tends to reject it * Clairsentience (receiving spiritual information through feelings) is common in our Western society, though most people don’t recognize it * How awareness of the non-physical realm can help with fear of death * Non-spiritual experiences are ineffable because our language doesn’t have the words to explain them * Tips for caring for the dying at the very end of life: + touch from a stranger or healthcare worker may not be helpful and may interrupt their process + be careful with what is said in front of dying patient + be quiet and meditative in their presence + have patient’s personal mementos in the room (photos, plants) + allow times of solitude for the patient * We can be “with” our loved ones in the non-physical realm even when we can’t be together in the same room when they are dying
Links mentioned in this episode: * Get Debra’s book here: Diary of a Death Doula: 25 Lessons the Dying Teach Us About the Afterlife * View Debra’s YouTube channel here * Vigil for Global Compassion * Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio * Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patrons: Grace Lawrence, Arlene Radasky, Kelli Lyles, and Rafael Babilonia. Your contributions make all the difference!
On the ninth of each month we have been called to hold space in our communities on life, death and transformation by ObservetheNinth.org. Today’s vigil will hold space for love and compassion for all of humankind and for the planet itself. May it bring you peace and comfort.
Vigil for Global Compassion VIGIL-Script-July-2020Download
Three steps for increasing your capacity for kindness in a world that is polarized, divided, and suffering right now.
In this episode I’ll share some poems, stories and philosophical musings about our polarized world, which is filled with suffering, and how we can rise above our difference and our pain to show compassion and kindness to one another.
Listen here:
Featured poem from this episode: SMALL KINDNESSES
by Danusha Laméris
I’ve been thinking about the way, when you walk
down a crowded aisle, people pull in their legs
to let you by. Or how strangers still say “bless you”
when someone sneezes, a leftover from the Bubonic plague. “Don’t die,” we are saying.
And sometimes, when you spill lemons
from your grocery bag, someone else will help you
pick them up. Mostly, we don’t want to harm each other.
We want to be handed our cup of coffee hot,
and to say thank you to the person handing it. To smile
at them and for them to smile back.
For the waitress
to call us honey when she sets down the bowl of clam chowder,
and for the driver in the red pick-up truck to let us pass.
We have so little of each other, now. So far
from tribe and fire. Only these brief moments of exchange.
What if they are the true dwelling of the holy, these
fleeting temples we make together when we say, “Here,
have my seat,” “Go ahead—you first,” “I like your hat.””
— from Healing the Divide: Poems of Kindness and Connection by James Crews, Ted Kooser
Links from this episode: * Get the poetry book here: Healing the Divide: Poems of Kindness and Connection * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn how honoring the sacredness of birth and death are key to healing the problems in our medical system.
My guest Dr. Nathan Riley specializes in both obstetrics and hospice and palliative care. He’ll share insights from his work at the beginning and the end of life and how the medical system fails to honor the sacredness of these two passages. We will discuss what needs to change in the medical system in order to heal disparities in medicine and honor natural birth and death. Learn more about Nathan’s podcast:
www.obgynowino.com
Listen here:
This episode includes: * How Nathan was inspired by the work of Drs. Paul Farmer and Albert Schweitzer * Death and birth are equally mysterious and both are often taboo subjects in our society * Death and birth are both vulnerable times of life and are pathologized and medicalized by the healthcare system * Reframing death as the beginning of something new and expanded * The problem with doctors’ focus on “the good outcome” rather than on meeting the needs of the patient in the moment * What goes wrong during medical training that leads doctors away from the sacredness of medicine * Slowing down, listening and empathy are essential steps for healing the medical system and improving medical care * Why doctors fear emotional closeness with patients * Implicit bias and health disparities in medicine * Why we must look within ourselves first if we want to eradicate racism in the systems where we work
Links mentioned in this episode: * Books by Victoria Sweet MD: Slow Medicine and God’s Hotel * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Learn tips and resources for helping children deal with grief during this unique time in history.
My guest Linda Goldman is a grief therapist, counselor and teacher who does trainings on children’s grief and trauma and working with LGBT youth. She shares insights and resources for helping children who are dealing with grief and trauma due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent protests and riots over police brutality. Linda was a frequent consultant and thought leader for programs responding to the impact of 9/11 on children and sees this current unprecedented time in our history as an opportunity for post-traumatic growth for both children and adults. Learn more about her work at her website:
www.grievingchildren.net
Download FREE ebook for children (includes memory workbook):
Children-Also-GrieveDownload Listen here:
This episode includes: * How current experiences with COVID-19 and racial unrest can be opportunities for teaching children about healthy behaviors, compassion and kindness * The positive and negative aspects of media and internet for children at this time * The physical, mental and emotional consequences of repressed grief * How children grieve differently than adults and what they need from adults to cope with grief: + Honor feelings + Provide a safe haven + Mentorship * Resources for helping children with grief: + Play as a form of emotional expression + Books to read together + Sesame Street videos + Memory book or journal + Letter writing + List top 5 worries + “Linking objects” to maintain sense of connection with loved one + Support group * Attributes of a resilient child: + Proactive behavior + Creativity + Empathy + Communication skills + Optimism + Perseverance + Gratefulness
Links mentioned in this episode: * Get Linda’s book here – Life and Loss: A Guide to Help Grieving Children * View Linda’s other books here * Download FREE children’s book here: Children Also Grieve * Sesame Street videos * Love Over Fear Story Page * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!
Welcome to this weekly bonus series of brief stories designed to touch your heart and offer you comfort, joy, laughter, and inspiration as we face uncertain times together! Remember always to choose LOVE over fear!
Story 15: You’re Already There You’re Already There Featured Poem:
Journey by David Whyte
Above the mountains
the geese turn into
the light again
Painting their
black silhouettes
on an open sky.
Sometimes everything
has to be
inscribed across
the heavens
so you can find
the one line
already written
inside you.
Sometimes it takes
a great sky
to find that
first, bright
and indescribable
wedge of freedom
in your own heart.
Sometimes with
the bones of the black
sticks left when the fire
has gone out
someone has written
something new
in the ashes of your life.
You are not leaving.
Even as the light fades quickly now,
you are arriving.
Learn about current research into the experience of dying as a physical, emotional and spiritual process.
My guest Jennie Dear, who has been a journalist, English professor and hospice volunteer, was curious about the question “what does it feel like to die?” so she conducted her own research project. After interviewing doctors, nurses, psychologists, and other experts about the passage between diagnosis and death, she wrote a book (What Does it Feel Like to Die?) to share the hopeful insights she gained. She discusses what she learned from that project and what most people don’t know and need to know about the dying process. Learn more about her work at the website:
www.jenniedear.com
Listen here:
This episode includes: * Why and how Jennie wrote this book * How knowing about the physical process of dying can help people prepare better for the end of life * Why some dying patients’ pain is not alleviated + Fear of opioid abuse + Other untreated symptoms + Mental/emotional suffering of the dying process * Neuroscience experiments with patients in a vegetative state show patients are more aware than they appear to be * How do we know that “hearing is the last sense to go” for a dying patient * The 4 trajectories of dying (according to Dr. Joanne Lynn) and why it’s helpful to understand them + Sudden death + Terminal illness + Chronic illness + Frailty * Most common reasons for choosing medical aid in dying: + Fear of pain + Not wanting to be a burden to family + Not wanting to prolong the dying process
Links mentioned in this episode: * Course: Racism in Death Care – Confronting Bias, Ignorance and Prejudice taught by Joel Anthony and Anita Grant * Get Jennie’s book here: What Does it Feel Like to Die? * Get Karen’s book here: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying * Dr. Joanne Lynn discusses 3 Trajectories of Death – video * The Five Trajectories pdf by Jennifer Moore Ballentine * Jennie’s YouTube video * Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patron: Heather Capuano. Your contributions make all the difference!
