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Hospice and palliative physician Dr. Matthew Tyler is teaching us how to have conversations with your healthcare team about what matters most to you. In addition to his work as medical director of pa…

Hospice and palliati…

Hospice and palliative physician Dr. Matthew Tyler is teaching us how to have conversations with your healthcare team about what matters most to you. In addition to his work as medical director of palliative care services, Matthew educates the public about having meaningful discussions with their healthcare teams, especially the doctor. He calls it “How to Train Your Doctor”. People with serious illnesses, along with their decision-makers, can get better care if they know how to communicate their needs.Matthew tackles some of the trickiest topics with his How to Train Your Doctor soci…

Being an advocate for someone in hospice care is a big job. MSW Jacob Kendall of Demystifying Healthcare is teaching us how to do it well. Advocacy for his own healthcare needs has taught him how to…

Being an advocate fo…

Being an advocate for someone in hospice care is a big job. MSW Jacob Kendall of Demystifying Healthcare is teaching us how to do it well. Advocacy for his own healthcare needs has taught him how to communicate with a healthcare team to get the best care possible. Jacob teaches about the various aspects that influence that care that’s available for patients, including time and communication. He’s also looking from a 30,000 foot view as well, acknowledging that geography, poverty, time, and policies influence the kind of care we receive.Jacob is a fan of interdisciplinary care. He be…

As co-founder of Empowered Endings, Dr. Bob Uslander, is working to shift the paradigm of End of Life Care by supporting, guiding, and teaching an empowered approach to Palliative and End of Life Care…

As co-founder of Emp…

As co-founder of Empowered Endings, Dr. Bob Uslander, is working to shift the paradigm of End of Life Care by supporting, guiding, and teaching an empowered approach to Palliative and End of Life Care.  He became aware of the gaps in hospice and palliative care that cause patients to struggle.  The deaths of his parents and a dear friend provided a personal perspective into Caregiving that formed Bob’s determination to meet the needs of people with serious illness in a better way.  Empowered Endings supports both patients and families through the final stages of life.  Bob, his wife M…

In part 2 of our grief series with Grief Coach Shelby Forsythia, Shelby talks about identifying your grief allies, different grief styles, and how to create continuing bonds with the ones you’ve los…

In part 2 of our gri…

In part 2 of our grief series with Grief Coach Shelby Forsythia, Shelby talks about identifying your grief allies, different grief styles, and how to create continuing bonds with the ones you’ve lost.  As founder of Life After Loss Academy, she uses what she’s learned in the years after her mother’s death to help other grievers make their way through a grief journey.  Shelby uses mindfulness techniques and open-ended questions to guide her clients to welcome grief as a teacher.  Shelby’s work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.  Her heart and compa…

Grief Coach Shelby Forsythia is teaching us how it’s possible to grow through grief.  As founder of Life After Loss Academy, she uses what she’s learned in the years after her mother’s death to…

Grief Coach Shelby F…

Grief Coach Shelby Forsythia is teaching us how it’s possible to grow through grief.  As founder of Life After Loss Academy, she uses what she’s learned in the years after her mother’s death to help other grievers make their way through a grief journey.  Shelby uses mindfulness techniques and open-ended questions to guide her clients to welcome grief as a teacher.  Shelby’s work has been featured in Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.  Her heart and compassion is palpable in her book Your Grief, Your Way. Connect with Shelby Forsythia:Website: https://www.shelbyfo…

Dementia practitioner Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly is on a mission to transform the landscape of dementia care.  As co-founder of Veranda Ministries, a 501(c)3, Mary Anne has spent two decades telling …

Dementia practitione…

Dementia practitioner Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly is on a mission to transform the landscape of dementia care.  As co-founder of Veranda Ministries, a 501(c)3, Mary Anne has spent two decades telling the stories of people dealing with dementia.  Supporting dementia caregivers is her gift, and helping them to remember their person’s Legacy is a top priority.  Mary Anne got her start as a family practice nurse, and is now a Certified Dementia Practitioner as well as holding a triple certification as a PAC trainer, consultant, and coach in Teepa Snow’s “Positive Approach to Care” (PA…

Welcome to Season 9 of The Heart of Hospice Podcast! Occupational Therapists Emilia Bourland and Dr. Brandy Archie are sharing how OTs can improve the quality of life for patients and caregivers on ho…

Welcome to Season 9 …

Welcome to Season 9 of The Heart of Hospice Podcast! Occupational Therapists Emilia Bourland and Dr. Brandy Archie are sharing how OTs can improve the quality of life for patients and caregivers on hospice care.  OTs are underutilized in end-of-life care, but they’re an essential part of the hospice interdisciplinary team. There’s a lot of support OTs can offer to make caregiving tasks easier, practical solutions to everyday issues for activities of daily living.  Occupational Therapy interventions can include managing equipment, setting up meals, and transfer techniques.  It’s abo…

Erin Whalen, founder of Compassionate Coaching, is working to help end of life and grief professionals love their work again.  Using her unique gifts, Erin and the Compassionate Coaching theater troo…

Erin Whalen, founder…

Erin Whalen, founder of Compassionate Coaching, is working to help end of life and grief professionals love their work again.  Using her unique gifts, Erin and the Compassionate Coaching theater troop employ “playback theater” to develop engaging programming that centers around giving and receiving empathy.  They work with end of life teams to mitigate burnout, enabling the teams to continue providing care for those who are dying.Erin understands grief, loss, and the importance of caring for ourselves as we care for others.  Erin lived her whole life in a state of anticipatory grief f…

Pharmacist Ellen Fulp is passionate about using medications appropriately to care for patients who are at their most vulnerable.  As a part of the hospice interdisciplinary team, Ellen collaborates w…

Pharmacist Ellen Ful…

Pharmacist Ellen Fulp is passionate about using medications appropriately to care for patients who are at their most vulnerable.  As a part of the hospice interdisciplinary team, Ellen collaborates with the hospice director and nurse to ensure quality of life is supported, and a patient’s suffering is reduced.  Caregivers and patients often misunderstand how medication is used in hospice care.   Ellen believes in symptom resolution, keeping the patient’s goals of care in mind.  In hospice care, pharmacists do more than just review medications for side effects or adverse effects.  T…

Funeral director and author Jodi Clock knows personally how each person finds a grief style that’s the best, healthy fit for themselves.  As host of the “I Woke Up Dead - Now What?” podcast, Jo…

Funeral director and…

Funeral director and author Jodi Clock knows personally how each person finds a grief style that’s the best, healthy fit for themselves.  As host of the “I Woke Up Dead - Now What?” podcast, Jodi is having conversations about our common experiences with death, shares best practices, and asks the tough questions in order to prepare for end-of-life realities we all will face.  Jodi learned valuable life lessons about grief and loss after experiencing the death of both her parents when Jodi was in her 20’s.  As a funeral director, she’s seen all the aspects of grief and how every …

Hospice nurse Eileen Spillane of Befriending Death has learned to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. Eileen is the Founder of Befriending Death and has been a Registered Nurse for over thirty year…

Hospice nurse Eileen…

Hospice nurse Eileen Spillane of Befriending Death has learned to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. Eileen is the Founder of Befriending Death and has been a Registered Nurse for over thirty years, specializing in Oncology, Critical Care, and Obstetrics.  She is a certified Life Coach from New Ventures West, a former Zen Hospice Project Volunteer, a Meditation Teacher, and an Active Travel Guide.  She has been at the bedside of many as they transition through the dying process and cares very deeply about this topic.On the Befriending Death website, Eileen writes that “if we have con…

“What do I need to know about you as a person to take the best care of you?”  This is how integrative palliative medicine physician Dr. Delia Chiaramonte starts conversations with her patients. I…

“What do I need to…

“What do I need to know about you as a person to take the best care of you?”  This is how integrative palliative medicine physician Dr. Delia Chiaramonte starts conversations with her patients. It’s a Dignity Question that lets her patients know she cares about them as a person. Delia works in integrative palliative medicine to care for the whole person. Dr. Delia Chiaramonte is a caregiver coach as well as an integrative palliative medicine physician. She’s the founder of the Integrative Palliative Institute and host of The Integrative Palliative Podcast. Dr. Chiaramonte is an ad…

End of Life Doula Trina Wacasey works to ensure that clients and families have the kind of personalized death care they want. Using family-guided care customized to fit their beliefs, needs, and want…

End of Life Doula Tr…

End of Life Doula Trina Wacasey works to ensure that clients and families have the kind of personalized death care they want. Using family-guided care customized to fit their beliefs, needs, and wants, Trina guides caregivers through deaths, post-mortem care, and rituals after death.  After working in the corporate world, Trina was drawn to the work of an end of life doula. She volunteered at a hospice agency with their bereavement program, and completed training at the Conscious Dying Institute. The deep and meaningful conversations had great meaning for her. She was fascinated by how…

Today’s guest Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar is a Veteran, death doula, compassionate educator, and the founder of In Their Honor, a national initiative raising awareness and addressing Veterans' unique…

Today’s guest Dr. …

Today’s guest Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar is a Veteran, death doula, compassionate educator, and the founder of In Their Honor, a national initiative raising awareness and addressing Veterans' unique challenges as they approach the end of life.  Qwynn is also the spouse of a combat veteran and understands the role of veteran caregivers.  1 in 4 Medicare hospice patients is a U.S. military veteran - a quarter of the Medicare hospice population.  Those veterans have special needs when it comes to the end of their lives.  Qwynn recognizes the importance of identifying moral injury, a hist…

Dr. Kenneth Doka and Alex Lamorie of the Hospice Foundation of America’s Autism and Grief Project are advocates for people with autism.  Dr. Doka is a prolific author, editor, and lecturer, past pr…

Dr. Kenneth Doka and…

Dr. Kenneth Doka and Alex Lamorie of the Hospice Foundation of America’s Autism and Grief Project are advocates for people with autism.  Dr. Doka is a prolific author, editor, and lecturer, past president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, and a member and past chair of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement. Alex Lamorie is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland Global Campus and an autism advocate.  He serves as an advisor on the Hospice Foundation of America's Autism & Grief Project.  Alex's expressive grief artwork was fea…

Devin (D.S.) Moss brings a sense of reverence for life and a curiosity about death to his work as a chaplain. During a conversation with a Zen Master about Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife, the s…

Devin (D.S.) Moss br…

Devin (D.S.) Moss brings a sense of reverence for life and a curiosity about death to his work as a chaplain. During a conversation with a Zen Master about Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife, the suggestion was made to him that he would make a good chaplain. Devin didn’t think he could do the work of spiritual care because of his humanist beliefs. He doesn’t believe in God. Turns out the Zen Master didn’t believe in God, either. Despite a religious upbringing, Devin embraces nontheistic, or humanist, beliefs. His sense of exploration led him to attend seminary and become a chapl…

1 in 4 Medicare hospice patients is a U.S. military veteran.  End of life workers need to know how to take care of their special needs and enhance their quality of life.  It’s important for EOL te…

1 in 4 Medicare hosp…

1 in 4 Medicare hospice patients is a U.S. military veteran.  End of life workers need to know how to take care of their special needs and enhance their quality of life.  It’s important for EOL teams to know the signs of PTSD and how to listen when these patients (and their caregivers!) are communicating what they need.Many military veterans experience trauma, guilt, and anger, causing what is identified as “soul injury”.  Having a soul injury or PTSD creates a need for specialized care.  Opus Peace has a great inventory tool for assessing whether someone has experienced a soul inj…

Christina Keys can tell you the realities of being a caregiver for someone with a serious illness - the good, the bad, and the ugly. As the sole caregiver for her mother following a catastrophic stro…

Christina Keys can t…

Christina Keys can tell you the realities of being a caregiver for someone with a serious illness - the good, the bad, and the ugly. As the sole caregiver for her mother following a catastrophic Stroke, Christina experienced financial, emotional, mental, physical, and relational impacts. The relationship between the two women was complicated, following a history of childhood abuse.  When her mom needed end of life care, Christina was juggling a full-time job as well as all of her mom’s care. The caregiving needs became much more intense, often requiring two people. End of life conver…