EOLPodcast

Ep. 489 Influencing Death: Teaching Hospice Care on TikTok with Penny Smith RN

Learn from “Hospice Nurse Penny” how she started working in hospice and ended up being a viral influencer about end-of-life issues on social media.

My guest this week is Penny Smith RN, known on social media as “Hospice Nurse Penny.” She discusses her journey to becoming a hospice nurse and her rise to fame on TikTok during the COVID-19 lockdown. Her new book Influencing Death, Reframing Dying for Better Living is an honest and vulnerable look at her own life story and what she has learned from working with dying patients. Learn more and connect with Penny at her website:

hospicenursepenny.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Penny’s life experiences helped her be a better hospice nurse
  • How she helps family members feel comfortable when their loved ones experience end-of-life visions and dreams
  • How Penny went viral on TikTok
  • What information TikTok users are searching for about death and dying
  • Why social media platforms can be a good place to address misconceptions about death

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, to Simply Celebrate for donating on Paypal and thanks (again) to Robin Bissell for buying me 3 cups of coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 351 Grief and the Best and Worst of Times with Dianne Gray

Learn how the death of her son inspired Dianne Gray’s current work as a death doula and patient advocate.

My guest Dianne Gray is a death doula, grief specialist and the Chief Innovation and Patient Advocacy Officer at Acclivity Health. After her son’s death from a rare neurodegenerative disorder she has dedicated her life to improving care for all adults and children facing serious illness. She shares her long journey with grief and how it has shaped and informed her work and her life.

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How Dianne survived the end-of-life journey and death of her son
  • The best and worst experiences of the dying process
  • How Dianne’s encounters with death and grief led her to the mission of helping others facing loss
  • Why death and grief are part of the wellness movement and must be included in life in order to be whole
  • What Dianne learned about life from the work of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
  • Simple tools to ease grief and improve resilience
  • Therapy works for some people and not for others – keep searching for a good fit with a therapist
  • Learning that grief is a long journey to become someone new
  • Why viewing life as a fascinating adventure is helpful (and we never know what might happen next)
  • How social media can help or harm our grieving process
  • How Dianne works virtually as a patient advocate to get patients admitted to hospice and palliative care

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 Phyllis Nickel and Kathleen Ribbens! Your contributions make all the difference.