EOLPodcast

Ep. 548 Choice at the End of Life: A Bioethics Conversation on MAID with Jeffrey Kahn PhD in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics

kwyattmd

Learn about facts and misconceptions around medical aid in dying and the ethical tensions that exist in medicine and society.

Image of Jeffrey Kahn, a bioethics expert, alongside text promoting a podcast episode titled 'Choice at the End of Life' discussing medical assistance in dying (MAID).

My guest Professor Jeffrey Kahn is a bioethicist, researcher, author, and Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. The institute’s award-winning podcast, playing god? explores ethics dilemmas that arise in medicine, science, law, and health policy. Today we discuss with Dr. Kahn the most recent episode of playing god?: I Need you to Help Me Die – an exploration of Medical Aid in Dying through first-person storytelling and expert analysis. This episode includes a clip from I Need You to Help Me Die and listeners are invited to listen to the full episode at the following link:

https://playing-god.transistor.fm/s2/1

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • Why the Berman Institute chose to address medical aid in dying in their latest episode
  • The story of journalist Esmé Deprez and her father’s choice to use MAID
  • Why medical aid in dying is not the same as suicide
  • The difference between medically-assisted dying and euthanasia
  • The protections built into MAID laws that can also become obstacles
  • Ethical dilemma’s for healthcare providers
  • Why improved access to MAID is needed in states where it is legal

Links mentioned in this episode:

Jeffrey Kahn InterviewDownload
EOLPodcast

Ep. 547 When We Die Talks: Facing the Fear of Death with Zach Ancell

kwyattmd

Learn how asking “What do you think happens when we die?” helped this podcast host deal with death anxiety.

My guest Zach Ancell is the creator of When We Die Talks, a project around one question asked to anonymous callers: “What do you believe happens when we die?” He airs these fascinating conversations as a podcast that explores death, meaning, fear, grief, and how mortality shapes the way we live. Zach invites people to “leave a voicemail and share a belief, a question, or a moment you can’t shake about death: 971-328-0864.” Learn more at the website:

whenwedietalks.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What motivated Zach to start When We Die Talks
  • The courage it takes to face the fear of death
  • The benefits of anonymity in conversations about death
  • How Zach approaches these discussions with curiosity and no agenda
  • What has changed about his acceptance of death has increased from these conversations
  • How asking “What do you believe happens when we die?” unlocks other layers of meaning
  • The ultimate benefit of the project is learning to live more intentionally and authentically
  • How mortality awareness helps us re-prioritize life

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 546 The Love List of a Lifetime: Uplifting End-of-Life Planning with Sherry Richert Belul

kwyattmd

Learn about an end-of-life planner that helps people share joy and love as they prepare for their later days.

My guest Sherry Richert Belul is the founder of Simply Celebrate and author of The Love List of a Lifetime. She helps people discover creative, heartfelt ways to celebrate life, deepen connection, and express love–while also guiding people to plan for the end-of-life. She is a workshop leader and speaker who emphasizes loving out loud and making moments that matter. Her end-of-life planner The Love List of a Lifetime helps people organize what matters most, share their love, and leave a legacy of connection and care. Learn more at her website:

simplycelebrate.net

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Sherry is currently finding joy within the depths of her grief
  • The depth of our grief and sorrow is what allows for the breadth of kindness and joy
  • A love list as a gift for someone with a terminal diagnosis
  • Why include something “imperfect” on a love list
  • Why planning for the end of life is an act of great love
  • Start end-of-life planning by making a phone tree of contacts to be notified after your death and include a short message to each person
  • Sharing the stories of the things we plan to pass on to others
  • How sorting through items from the past with a loved one can create new special memories
  • People need to be seen and heard and loved for who they are
  • Say it now – don’t let the moment pass

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 donor Joy Fletcher. And thanks to everyone who bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 545 Organ Donation and Extraordinary Conversations at the End of Life with Toby Campbell MD

kwyattmd

Learn about organ donation at the end of life and how to have conversations about it and other difficult topics.

My guest Dr. Toby Campbell is a Professor of Medicine, Thoracic Oncologist, and Palliative Care Physician who is also a writer and podcaster. He is currently writing A Doctor’s Guide to Hard Conversations and created the Extraordinary Conversations Podcast, which explores the pivotal discussions that arise around organ donation and transplantation–and event at the end of one life that helps prolong another life. He discusses these challenging conversations and how they might inform other situations when we need to talk about a difficult subject. Learn more at the website:

extraordinaryconversationspodcast.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Toby’s desire to practice “slow medicine” led to his interest in oncology and palliative care
  • Challenges faced by families in organ donation situations
  • Recognizing that some healthcare decisions are more for the future than for the present moment
  • How the dying process differs when organs are being donated
  • Rituals that might occur in the setting of organ donation
  • Why our feelings about organ donation need to be discussed as part of our end-of-life planning
  • How organ donation can end up helping donor families with their grief
  • Tips for having difficult conversations including building rapport, responding to emotion, eliciting values and priorities

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 donor Joy Fletcher. And thanks to Cathy Duke for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 544 The Queer Grief Club and Inclusive End-of-Life Care with Jamie Thrower

kwyattmd

Learn how to better serve the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in grief and at the end of life.

My guest Jamie Thrower is a queer death doula, end-of-life educator and community grief tender serving the LGBTQ+ community in life and in death. She is the founder of Queer Grief Club and the co-creator of The Dementia Deck. We discuss how to offer more inclusive services in our end-of-life care and grief support spaces. Learn more at Jamie’s website:

jamiethrower.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • Jamie’s story of becoming parentless at age 28
  • How she discovered that grief connected her to others in a beautiful way
  • Why children need to be involved in death and funerals
  • The many layers of grief experienced by a queer person
  • How our systems need to change to become more inclusive
  • What we can do as individuals to make our care more welcoming to the queer community
  • Hidden bias in our paperwork and forms for people in the LGBTQ+ community
  • The importance of advance directives for queer people

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to Wayne for buying me a coffee and Rick DiTullio and Dawn Dayter for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 543 A Hospice Musical to Teach About Life’s Grief and Joy with Benjamin Kintisch

kwyattmd

Learn how to experience and support a fantastic musical comedy about hospice care, grief, and finding meaning in life.

My return guest Benjamin Kintisch is a trained chaplain, music teacher, and Cantor in the Jewish synagogue. He is the creator, lyricist and playwright of “Life Review: The Hospice Musical,” a musical comedy that focuses on the lessons a young rabbi learns when he is assigned to be a chaplain for patients in a residential hospice. Ben discusses the upcoming full performance of the musical and album recording on May 9th and the real life origin of the stories and songs in Life Review. Visit the website and support the Kickstarter campaign at the links below:

lifereviewmusical.com

Kickstarter Campaign for Life Review

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What inspired Ben to write a musical about hospice
  • How Ben ended up creating a one-man version of the show during COVID
  • The story arc of the musical and what it teaches
  • Audience reaction to the musical and why it creates “teachable” moments
  • Why the arts and media are important vehicles for educating the public about death, dying, and grief
  • The upcoming May 9th performance of the musical and live album recording at Johns Hopkins University
  • How (and why) to support the Kickstarter Campaign

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 541 [BONUS] Kindness is Contagious and We Need it Now More Than Ever (from What Really Matters Podcast)

kwyattmd

This Bonus post is a cross-over episode from the What Really Matters Podcast.

In this episode I’m sharing research by Dr. Jonathan Haidt that demonstrates the ripple effects transmitted from each and every act of kindness. When other people see us being kind it changes them. And this moment in time–when people are feeling overwhelmed, polarized, frightened, and uncertain–is exactly when kindness is needed. 

"Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,

you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing."

from the poem Kindness by Naomi Shihab Nye

This episode includes:

  • How we collectively know deep sorrow at this time in history
  • Apples: a simple story of kindness becoming contagious
  • Dr. Jonathan Haidt’s research findings about kindness
  • Noticing the effects of kindness on others
  • The Kindness Walk as a practice
  • Invitation to share your kindness stories with me at info@eoluniversity.com

Learn about my books here

Check out What Really Matters Podcast

Read my latest Substack post

Make a donation here

EOLPodcast

Ep. 542 Estate Transition: An Important Part of End-of-Life Planning with Dan Stickel

kwyattmd

Learn about a software resource that helps people navigate estate planning and settlement and find greater peace at the end of life.

My guest Dan Stickel is the Founder and CEO of EstateExec, a cloud-based software solution estate administration and settlement. If you’ve ever served as the executor for an estate you know how challenging it can be to manage financial decisions while grieving after a death has occurred. Dan explains how this software eases the burden for loved ones and avoids common mistakes, and also why it should be part of end-of-life planning. Learn more at the website:

estateexec.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • Why Dan created EstateExec based on his own experience
  • Most people don’t have a will and why that may or may not be a problem
  • How the EstateExec app helps people navigate the estate settlement process after a death occurs
  • The common issues estate executors struggle with
  • Why the estate transition process can’t be rushed and each step is important
  • Simple steps in planning an estate in advance that could make a big difference for survivors
  • Many states have laws to protect families financially after a death
  • Why death doulas and hospice workers may want to encourage estate planning before death for peace of mind and less family conflict

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to Lynn Adamo for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 540 Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving with Shelby Forsythia

kwyattmd

Learn how to support a grieving person by choosing the best words to say that will actually make a difference.

My guest Shelby Forsythia is a grief coach, author, podcast host, and the founder of Life After Loss Academy, an online course and community for grievers. She is the author of Your Grief Your Way, Permission to Grieve, and her latest book Of Course I’m Here Right Now: Three Actually Helpful Things to Say to Someone Grieving. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine. Learn more at her website:

shelbyforsythia.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Shelby became a “student of grief” who views loss as a perpetual teacher
  • Three common internal narratives that grieving people face
  • Three simple but transformative phrases to use when supporting someone
  • Why words are the most accessible tool for support of someone grieving
  • The need for grief literacy to prevent the secondary loss of friendships during times of grief
  • The “three Ds“ of grief
  • What is the “second wave of grief”
  • The lack of grief literacy on social media

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 539 Yoga, Breath, and Death: Death Café at the Yoga Studio with Leslie Howard and Richard Rosen

kwyattmd

Learn why “corpse pose” in yoga is a rehearsal for death and how yoga instructors are bringing Death Café into their studio.

My guests Leslie Howard and Richard Rosen are both yoga instructors at Nest Yoga in Oakland CA and are co-authors of a new book titled Savasana: Between Breath and Death – a how-to for the final pose. Leslie is a certified death doula and hospice volunteer. Richard is the author of five previous books about yoga. Leslie also facilitates a Death Café that meets regularly at the yoga studio. Learn more at these websites:

lesliehowardyoga.com

betweenbreathanddeath.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What is Savasana (or Corpse Pose)
  • Corpse pose as a rehearsal for death
  • How it benefits us to have periods of conscious rest like Savasana
  • How Leslie was inspired to become a death doula
  • Incorporating Death Café into the yoga studio
  • How yoga practice can help during times of illness, stress, and at the end of life
  • How breathing helps soothe the nervous system
  • Restorative yoga poses for physical comfort at the end of life

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 Karen Sheldahl! And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 538 Helping “Stuck Souls” Cross Over with Father Nathan Castle

kwyattmd

Learn about the unusual work of a priest who experiences after-death communication with souls who have become “stuck” in their afterlife journey.

My guest Father Nathan Castle is a Dominican priest known for his work in campus ministry and his unusual calling of helping souls who have died suddenly to find peace. He discusses his unique work and how he was called to serve others in this way. He discusses the communications he receives in his dreams and how he began working with the souls who connect with him whose afterlives have been interrupted by unfinished business. He is the host of The Joyful Friar Podcast and the author of four books including his most recent: Afterlife: Interrupted Book 3 – Let Me Explain. Learn more at his website:

Nathan-castle.com

Get the books here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What he means by “stuck souls”
  • How he first experienced contact from a deceased soul in his dreams
  • Why certain people might get stuck in this way after death
  • What is an “interrupted death experience”
  • Stories of souls he has encountered during after death communication experiences
  • How he works with stuck souls and their guardians to help them cross over
  • How he uses prayer as a subset of love for helping souls
  • In his experience many people who died by suicide felt optionless and just wanted the pain to stop
  • How he manages to be “The Joyful Friar” in the midst of the work he does
  • Advice for the living: Stay in the present moment and don’t be defined by the worst thing that happened to you in order to avoid getting stuck in the afterlife

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 537 Grief and the Widowed Mom with Krista St-Germain

kwyattmd

Learn about grief support for widows who are also raising children as they navigate loss and bereavement.

My guest Krista St-Germain is a life coach, post-traumatic growth and grief expert, widowed mom, and host of The Widowed Mom Podcast. She coaches and teaches other widows to love life again and shares with us in this conversation what she has learned. She and her work have been featured in Psychology Today, Medium, Thrive Global, Bustle, Psych Central, and Parents Magazine. Learn more at her website:

coachingwithkrista.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The challenges of grieving while raising children
  • How our limited knowledge of grief makes it more difficult to navigate
  • Coping with unexpected effects of grief
  • Myths about what is “normal” in grief
  • What Krista wishes she had known about grief
  • The dual-process model of grief
  • The importance of community in navigating grief
  • How just hearing someone else talk about their grief is helpful
  • Post-traumatic growth and grief
  • Understanding secondary losses and grief

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 536 Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula with Darnell Lamont Walker

kwyattmd

Learn about a powerful memoir from the life of a death doula who was inspired by his grandmother to sit with the dying.

My guest Darnell Lamont Walker is a death doula, Emmy-nominated children’s television writer, producer and explorer. He creates spaces worldwide for healing through storytelling, end-of-life care, and workshops on grief, resilience, unlocking the writer within, and radical empathy. He is the author of the newly published memoir Never Can Say Goodbye: The Life of a Death Doula and The Art of a Peaceful End published by HarperCollins. Learn more at his website:

darnellwalker.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Darnell was first introduced to end-of-life care by his grandmother
  • The power of storytelling
  • Why caring for the dying seems foreign to some people but is actually an innate ability
  • Why we should be training children at a young age to be present with dying or we may pass on our own fear of death
  • Death within the Black community and the impact of systemic racism, generational trauma, and unequal access to healthcare on end-of-life decision-making
  • Why listening first is the best way to build trust and get people to talk about difficult subjects
  • Why we can make better choices for life when we become aware of our mortality

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to Jolynn Deloach for making a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 535 Planning Your Funeral and Legacy Online with Paul Fried

kwyattmd

Learn about a helpful online platform for end-of-life planning and the benefits of using technology for this work.

My guest Paul Fried is an entrepreneur who recognized a need to reshape how we think about end-of-life planning. He founded a digital-first platform that focuses on compassionate funeral planning, digital legacy preservation, and emotional wellness titled I Made the Arrangements. He discusses the value of recording our end-of-life wishes and messages digitally for the sake of our loved ones. Paul is also the author of the book Live Fully. Leave Wisely: End-of-Life Planning as the Ultimate Act of Love. Learn more at his website:

Imadethearrangements.com

Get the book

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Paul’s ancestry and personal history led him to create I Made the Arrangements
  • Why digital planning services are important right now
  • The disastrous consequences of not planning ahead or talking about our end-of-life wishes
  • Why employers are starting to offer online end-of-life planning as a benefit to their employees
  • How technology is rapidly advancing to help people reconnect with holographic images of their loved ones
  • How “wishkeepers” help secure their loved ones’ legacies
  • Resources available on the website

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 534 Sacred Dying: Honoring the Legacy of Megory Anderson with Jeremy Damec

kwyattmd

Learn about the beautiful contribution of Dr. Megory Anderson to the field of sacred death and dying and how her legacy lives on 7 years after her death.

My guest Jeremy Damec is a NEDA-certified death doula and a grief counselor who has also completed chaplaincy training and worked at a funeral home. He was a friend and mentee of Megory Anderson and knew her well during the years prior to her untimely and unexpected death in 2019. We discuss her pioneering contributions to end-of-life care and her book Sacred Dying along with our own stories of being inspired by Megory’s wisdom on the 7th anniversary since her death. Learn more about Jeremy’s work:

jeremydeathandgrief.com

deathandgriefworkercollective.com

Get Sacred Dying

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • Megory’s book Sacred Dying as a valuable resource for all death workers
  • How Jeremy got to know Megory Anderson
  • Jeremy’s experience sitting vigil with Megory before she died
  • How Jeremy still learns from Megory in his work
  • Honoring Megory as a pioneer in the sacred aspect of death and dying
  • What Jeremy has been inspired to create through the Death and Grief Worker Collective

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 Leslie Robinson! And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 533 The Legacy of Hospice in the U.S. and Around the World with Dr. Robert Buckingham

kwyattmd

Learn the history of the hospice movement in the US from one of the original founders.

My guest Dr. Robert Buckingham is a Professor Emeritus of Public Health at the University of Michigan and has been a pioneer of the U.S. hospice movement, having played a role in the founding of the very first hospice program in this country. In addition he has co-developed 81 hospice programs across the globe including the firs hospice for children with AIDS in Thailand. He is the author of 12 books – 7 dedicated solely to hospice and palliative care. His latest book is Understanding Loss and Grief for Women. Learn more at his website:

rwbuckingham.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • The birth of hospice in America
  • Current threats to the hospice movement
  • Dr. Buckingham’s involvement in developing hospice programs around the world
  • The historical philosophy of hospice care
  • The benefits of providing hands-on care to a loved one at the end of life
  • How the AIDS crisis helped fuel the growth of the hospice movement
  • Lessons learned from dying patients
  • Why he wrote about loss and grief for women and why we need to make sure we include men in grief work
  • Remembering that change takes time and taking the long view on our work

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 532 Writing Your Obituary as Part of End-of-Life Planning with Gail Shapiro

kwyattmd

Learn how and why to write your own obituary as a legacy project.

My guest Gail Shapiro is a seasoned writer and editor and also a professional organizer who has guided many people through the details of end-of-life planning. She also helps people write memorable obituaries for themselves and others and today discusses why this process is an important part of end-of-life planning. She shares tips and best practices for writing an obituary and how she can help when we aren’t sure what to include or how to say what we mean. Learn more at her website:

gailshapiro.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Gail became interested in obituary writing
  • Why an obituary can also be a legacy project
  • Why should we consider writing our own obituary rather than leaving it to someone else
  • What should an obituary include
  • What should NOT be in an obituary
  • Best practices for writing a beautiful obit
  • How AI can make serious mistakes in obituary writing and cannot replace the human touch
  • What services Gail provides for those who aren’t comfortable doing their own writing

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 Adele Flaherty and to Jen Davidson for increasing your pledge. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 531 Sacred Wild: Soul Connections with Our Pets in Life and Death with Miki Jacobs

kwyattmd

Learn about the spiritual bond between humans and their pets and how it continues after physical death.

My guest Miki Jacobs is an internationally acclaimed medium, speaker, and author who shares wisdom and teachings from the spirit world with audiences worldwide. Her lifelong love of animals led her, along with her husband Clayton, to create a sanctuary for rescued animals on their ranch in Southern California. In her book Sacred Wild: The Spiritual World of Animals, Including Pets, and its Interconnectedness with Ours – she explores the spiritual nature of animals and the sacred bond they share with humans, which we discuss in this episode. Learn more at her website:

mikijacobs.com

Get the book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Miki developed her connection with animals and with the spiritual realm
  • We can all teach ourselves to communicate with “the other side” if we choose to and do the necessary spiritual work
  • How mediumship helps with the fear of death
  • Animals are capable of unconditional love because they don’t have an ego
  • For humans our true selves can be obscured by the energy of the ego
  • Animals can detect our wellbeing and recognize when someone is dying
  • The pets we have are meant to be with us if we are open to that – we have “soul contracts” with them
  • Why Miki believes that our animal companions have a spiritual existence after death and continue to accompany us
  • Signs that our departed animal companions might send to us in everyday life or dreams
  • Spiritual growth is hard but the benefits are beautiful – we grow through challenges
  • How connecting with a pet could be the pathway to spiritual growth, including teaching us about impermanence

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 Marion Folkemer. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 530 Six Pillars of Care for Palliative Care Providers with Meina Dubetz RN

kwyattmd

Learn about a training course for professionals entering the palliative care field to prepare them for the emotional and spiritual demands of this work.

My guest Meina Dubetz is a registered nurse specializing in Palliative and Oncology Care and also a Certified Grief Educator and Reiki Master. She is the author of the book When Death Comes Knocking for Your Patients: A Guide for Nurses and Palliative Caregivers, which became a #1 bestseller on Amazon in the US and Canada. Recently she has developed a course for professionals entering the palliative care field in an institutional setting titled 6 Pillars of Care that we discuss today. Learn more at her website:

meinadubetz.com

Get her book here

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Meina was first called to work with the elderly and dying at the age of 17
  • How her path was shaped as well by the deaths of her father and her son
  • The healthcare system is not prepared or trained to cope with grief and help people at the end of life
  • Healthcare providers are affected by every death they experience whether they realize or not
  • The importance of our history with death, dying and grief when we serve others at the end of life
  • Why we should practice having difficult conversations before we engage in them
  • Why we need to share our struggles with our peers

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to Kquasny who bought me a coffee and to everyone who has made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 529 The Dementia Deck: Preparing for Future Decisions with Lisa Pahl and Jamie Thrower

kwyattmd

Learn about a helpful conversation game that encourages discussions about advance care planning for dementia.

My guests for this episode, Lisa Pahl and Jamie Thrower, are the co-creators of The Dementia Deck, a new card game to help inspire conversations about demential. Lisa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Advanced Practice Hospice and Palliative Social Worker who previously created The Death Deck and The EOL Deck–conversation games that are changing the way we talk about death. Jamie is a queer death doula, end-of-life educator and community grief-tender serving the LGBTQ+ community in life and in death. She also runs Queer Grief Club (and I plan to have her back on the podcast to talk about her work!) They discuss how to use The Dementia Deck to overcome fears of dementia and help families prepare for future changes and decision-making. Learn more at their websites:

thedeathdeck.com

jamiethrower.com

Watch on YouTube

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • What The Death Deck and The EOL Deck consist of
  • The story behind The Dementia Deck and its creation
  • How Jamie collaborated on the design of the deck
  • Why conversations and advance care planning are important for people with dementia
  • Many people fear dementia even more than death
  • Millions of Americans are impacted by dementia either as a patient or a caregiver
  • How to introduce The Dementia Deck to an individual
  • Tips for getting the most out of working with the deck
  • Why it’s important to “stack the deck” when you first begin talking about dementia

Links mentioned in this episode:

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 thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.