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 the impact of COVID on end-of-life work and how it has brought to our awareness the inequities that exist in our society and in healthcare. Caring for ourselves is another important topic of our discussion and Deanna shares how she stays sane while doing incredibly stressful work. Learn more at Deanna’s website:
This episode includes:
- The lessons learned from dealing with COVID
- Why a commitment to self-care is necessary for end-of-life workers
- The practices Deanna relies upon to maintain physical, emotional and spiritual health while doing this work
- Choosing language around death and dying that people are comfortable with
- Allowing awareness of death to unfold for other people on their own time frame
- Why being quiet and saying nothing is sometimes the most helpful thing we can do
- The blessing of beginner’s mind vs the challenge of expertise
- “Guiding from behind” and knowing when to take charge
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Part 1 of the Deep Dive with Deanna
- Dr. Gabor Maté
- Dr. Diane Meier
- Dr. Ira Byock: Dying Well
- Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
- 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 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.
