A doctor learns about death by caring for her husband at the end of his life.
My guest Dr. Martha Calihan has been a practicing physician for over 30 years but she didn’t learn about the end of life until she became a caregiver for her ill husband. She shares how she navigated those challenging days and how being a caregiver made her a better doctor. She is the author of A Death Lived – a memoir of her end-of-life journey with her husband Charles. Learn more at her website:
This episode includes:
- How an Integrative medical provider differs from a conventionally-trained physician
- The challenges of playing dual roles of wife and physician
- What doctors can do better to help patients and families navigate the end of life
- Making medical decisions when the patient’s health status is constantly changing
- The freedom that comes from “speaking the unspeakable”
- One valuable question doctors need to ask caregivers: “If you come home and [your loved one] is unresponsive, do you know what you would do?”
- Tips for having the “death talk” with loved ones
- How to decide when it’s time to say no to medical interventions
- The gift of Near Death Awareness and how it helps with fear and grief
It’s more beautiful than you could ever imagine.
Charles’ last words – from “A Death Lived”
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Pre-order 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying here
- Libby app
- Dr. Calihan’s book: A Death Lived
- Five Wishes document
- Final Gifts by Maggie Callanan
- 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: Molly Oldfield and Lisa Rivera. Your contributions make all the difference!
