Tag: end of life doulas

EOLPodcast

Ep. 421 Caring for Veterans Through the End of Life with Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar

kwyattmd

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:

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.

End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 152 Many Ways to be of Service to the Dying

kwyattmd

 

PodcastServicehands

wrmflatcoverIn this episode I share some thoughts about how to get involved in the end-of-life movement if you have recently become interested in death and dying. You’ll hear about my best ideas for contributing to change in the way people die and offering your service to others.

Check out my book to read stories about hospice patients I cared for.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

SpCare-AuthPresence-EoL-UnivWelcome to our new sponsor: Authentic Presence Training from the Spiritual Care Program.  Authentic Presence brings together practical contemplative resources with the knowledge and skills of modern hospice and palliative care. Suitable for professionals from all faith traditions or none, the course draws its inspiration particularly from Buddhist contemplative practice, the acclaimed classic The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, the work of the Dalai Lama, as well as contemplative neuroscience. Learn more here.

Thank you also to our new supporter on Patreon.com/eolu: Althea Halchuk! I’m deeply appreciative of your contribution to help keep this podcast and the EOL University Interview Series on the air! Go to Patreon.com/eolu to learn more and sign up.

obrienwebinarJoin me and my guest Suzanne O’Brien RN for a free webinar: “EOL Doula Training for Caregivers and Volunteers” on Tuesday July 24th at 5 pm Pacific/8 pm Eastern. Register here and you’ll receive the replay if you can’t attend live.

 

FEATURE PRESENTATION:

Learn about these opportunities to be of service to the dying in many different capacities:

  • Work as a professional in hospice or palliative care (call your local hospice/palliative care program to see if you have the credentials needed and to learn about any training offered):
    • physician
    • nurse
    • nurse practitioner
    • nursing assistant
    • social worker
    • chaplain
  • Become a volunteer – for those with no medical training:
    • Hospice volunteers are always needed (call your local hospice for more information)
    • No One Dies Alone – a program to ensure that each dying patient in the hospital has companionship if desired at the end of life. Listen to my interview here and learn more about NODA here.
    • Threshold Choir – for those who love to sing; offer support and inspiration to the dying and their families through vocal music. Listen to my interview here and learn more about Threshold Choir here.
    • Twilight Brigade – to provide end-of-life support to veterans. Learn more here.
    • Pet Therapy for Hospice Patients – if you have a special pet and would like to receive training to provide visits to patients. Learn more in this interview.
    • Seek out other opportunities in your community like Meals on Wheels, hospital or nursing home volunteer programs, church-related visitation programs
  • Become an End-of-Life Doula – check out the training mentioned above with Suzanne O’Brien and find out if this work is a good fit for you. Learn more here.
  • Start a caregiver training program – the need for in-home caregivers is going to increase dramatically over the next decade. Consider becoming a caregiver trainer to help your community meet this need.
  • Teach a death education class – there is currently a great need for education about Slide01death and dying in our society. Consider teaching your own class or workshop to provide information to others in your community. Get the Teaching Guidelines for a Death & Dying Class here.

 

 

  • Create a Community Event to inspire people to learn more about the end of life:
    • Film series – listen to ideas here
    • Book club – read about A Year of Reading Dangerously online reading group here
    • Death Cafe – learn more here
    • Speaker series
  • Start a Social Model Hospice – to provide non-medical residential support and caregiving for those who are without a proper home at the end of life. Listen to the interview here.

Whatever inspires you I hope you will gather your courage and take the next step to get involved in the end-of-life movement. Your help is needed!

There will be a new episode next Monday. If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thank you for your interest and support!

Until next time:

Face Your Fear            BE Ready             Love Your Life

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End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 145 What the End-of-Life Movement Can Learn from the Natural Childbirth Movement – Part 1

kwyattmd

Learn what the history of natural childbirth in the U. S. has in common with the changes we are seeking in end-of-life care and how we can benefit from that knowledge as we move forward.

PodcastMovement

Slide1In this episode I share information from an article I researched and wrote about the natural childbirth movement in the U.S., how it developed over decades and ultimately succeeded with the help of the Baby Boom Generation. I’ll show how our current end-of-life movement is following a similar path and what we need to learn from the past. Download the special report below:

What the EOL movement can learn from natural childbirth

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

You can still join the online reading group: A Year of Reading Dangerously and read one book each month in 2018 about death, dying and the afterlife. In May we read the book Sacred Dying * by Megory Anderson and for the month of June we’re reading Choosing to Die * by Phyllis Shacter. Go to http://eoluniversity.com/yearofreading to learn more.

(* NOTE: These are affiliate links to Amazon – if you choose to purchase the books from these pages I will receive a small commission which will help support this podcast but cost nothing extra for you.)

HealingChantsAlbumThis episode is sponsored by the album Healing Chants by Gia! Check out this gorgeous collection of chants to help you relax, breathe deep, let go, and heal. Stay tuned to the end of the episode to hear the chant: You and I Are One.

Learn more about the album here.

FEATURE PRESENTATION:

A “perfect storm” led to the breakthrough of natural childbirth into mainstream U.S. medicine and society back in the 1970’s as the Baby Boom generation began demanding better alternatives. There is a similar “perfect storm” brewing right now around end-of-life care as Baby Boomers are aging and facing their own later years.

According to the book Family Centered Maternity by Celeste R. Phillips there were 3 key factors that contributed to the rise in popularity of natural childbirth. These same factors are present now in the end-of-life movement:

  • Medical Pioneers who served as advocates within the medical profession and began demanding change from their colleagues.
  • Grassroots Movements in communities that educated and empowered consumers to push for improved and alternative methods of care.
  • Media Attention that spotlighted the cause and galvanized the public to get involved while also normalizing the conversation.

But change doesn’t happen overnight and those seeking change in how our society deals with death and dying need to remember these 3 lessons about change:

  • Change in society is ultimately driven by economic factors
  • Change requires a united effort
  • Change requires a critical mass

Stay tuned next week for Part 2 of this discussion which will cover the potential deterrents to the change we are seeking and the takeaway lessons that should be learned from studying the history of natural childbirth.

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Thanks to all the supporters of this podcast on Patreon.com/eolu! Sign up to make a contribution of just $1 per month and receive special bonuses for patrons only!

If you enjoy this content please consider leaving a review on iTunes and sharing with others who would find it interesting!

Until next week …

Face Your Fear           BE Ready             Love Your Life

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