Month: March 2023

EOLPodcast

Ep. 396 The Chrysalis™ Room: Transforming Death in the Nursing Home with Loretta Downs

kwyattmd

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:

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.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 395 Conscious Dying, Dreamwork, and Death Doulas in Mexico with Wilka Roig

kwyattmd

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:

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.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 394 You’re Going to Die (YG2D): Creatively Exploring Death and Dying with Ned Buskirk

kwyattmd

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:

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.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 393 End-of-Life Care for People with Dementia with Barbara Karnes RN

kwyattmd

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:

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.