End-of-Life University

Ep. 512 Navigating a Life-Changing Diagnosis: Action Steps with Hsien Seow PhD

Learn about a helpful workbook and a free workshop toolkit to support people who are navigating a life-changing diagnosis. My return guest Dr. Hsien Seow is a palliative care researcher and a professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University. He is a co-host with Sammy Winemaker MD of The Waiting Room Revolution Podcast and they are both the authors of the book Hope for the Best Plan for the Rest. Today we discuss the new workbook that accompanies the book and a workshop toolkit they are offering at no charge. Learn more at the website: waitingroomrevolution.com Get the book here Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: Why Hsien and Sammy created a workbook for their book What the workbook consists of – reflections, exercises, FAQ’s The power of learning from one another about navigating illness The Ambassador Program and the free downloadable workshop that people can access and teach to others Toolkit included with the “workshop in a box” The goal is to create empowered patients and families Why the workshop toolkit would work well for doulas and hospice providers This information is for caregivers and loved ones as well as patients The public health palliative care approach to illness International audience reaction to the book The value of “relational care” in the medical setting Links mentioned in this episode: Previous interview with Hsien and Sammy: Episode 470 Learn about the Ambassador Program and Workshop in a Box here Relaunch of What Really Matters Podcast Check out my Substack: Soulcode – where I share essays on AI, grief, shadow work, and spiritual reflection View my new Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal 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 Molly Byock for buying me a lot of coffee and Aralyn Hughes who made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 511 Being with Dying: Teaching Death to Medical Students with Kevin Dieter MD

Learn about innovative educational programs for medical students and the impact they are having. My special guest Dr. Kevin Dieter is a family medicine and hospice and palliative care physician who helped to develop the nationally recognized palliative care curriculum at Northeast Ohio Medical University. He created a virtual learning module called “Being with Dying” for medical and pharmacy students to teach them what they need to know to be at the bedside of a dying patient. He discusses the course he offers, including training healthcare providers. Learn more from his website: walking-home.com Watch on YouTube Get the booklet: Facing Death with Grace Listen here: This episode includes: How Kevin first learned about end-of-life care from his patient “Mary” How Kevin went from being a family doctor to a hospice doctor The value of exposing medical students to dying patients 3 Pillars of wisdom: dying are our teachers both directly and indirectly we are the medicine for patients in our presence dying is more than a medical event How he helped initiate a learning experience called “The Hospice Patient as Teacher” for 3rd year medical students How patients don’t want their physician to “run away” when they are dying The power of home visits for patients What “Being with Dying” consists of Why this course can be replicated by other programs Why he no longer talks about “good” or “bad” deaths How Kevin became an Anam Cara Links mentioned in this episode: Sacred Art of Living Program Check out my Substack: Soulcode – where I share essays on AI, grief, shadow work, and spiritual reflection View my new Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal 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 @yogat3ch for buying me a coffee and James Schultz who made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 510 Training Death Literacy Educators with Francesca Lynn Arnoldy

Learn about an exciting new training to become a Death Literacy Educator and teach in your community. My return guest Francesca Lynn Arnoldy is a doula and a published researcher with the Vermont Conversation Lab and she runs a program for Death Literacy Educators. She is the author of The Death Doula’s Guide to Living Fully and Dying Prepared, My Death Journal, The Map of Memory Lane, and Cultivating the Doula Heart. Today she discusses the importance of training educators who can help our communities grow in knowledge, understanding, and awareness of death. Learn more at her website: francescalynnarnoldy.com Get Francesca’s books Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: What is death literacy Why Francesca created this program Training includes curricula and also tools for running a workshop and market it Who might be interested in becoming a Death Literacy Educator Why this movement needs space holders and not exclusively people who are dealing with death and loss themselves What students experience during this training Importance of sharing stories about death and grief How the training helps students find clarity in their teaching and determine the content they prefer to teach Tutorials and tools offered during the training Grant created with Compassion & Choices to provide special training The value of “attentional listening” Links mentioned in this episode: Check out my Substack: Soulcode – where I share essays on AI, grief, shadow work, and spiritual reflection View my new Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal 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 Stephanie Heilker, and to Curtis Robertson who made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 509 A Future Path for Hospice and Palliative Care with Ira Byock MD

Learn about Dr. Ira Byock’s strategic vision for approaching the major issues facing hospice and palliative care. My guest Dr. Ira Byock is a leading palliative care physician, author, and public advocate for improving care through the end of life. He is the author of the books Dying Well, The Four Things that Matter Most, and The Best Care Possible. He discusses his recent white paper “A Strategic Path Forward for Hospice and Palliative Care” and his 4-point approach for dealing with the current issues facing end-of-life care in the U.S. Learn more at his website and read the paper below: irabyock.org Read the Paper here Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: Why it’s important for insiders in the field of end-of-life care to honestly face the current crisis and the grief we are experiencing Fraud and abuse is a significant problem in hospice care today There is a high variability in quality of care in hospice Palliative care services are inconsistent across the country Leaders in the field are not addressing the problems in the field 70% of hospices are for-profit; profit needs to be tied to quality of care There must be zero tolerance of fraud and abuse in end-of-life care 4 elements of Dr. Byock’s strategic plan Links mentioned in this episode: Download a Discussion Guide for the white paper Check out my Substack: Soulcode – where I share essays on AI, grief, shadow work, and spiritual reflection View my new Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal 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 Frank Voelker and Katie Daco who made donations on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

Ep. 508 Navigating Life as a Dementia Caregiver with Beverly Thorn PhD

Learn about a helpful book with resources for dementia caregivers. My guest Dr. Beverly Thorn is dual trained in the neurosciences and clinical psychology. She is the author of hundreds of articles, two books, and four workbooks on coping with chronic illness. She has also been trained as an end-of-life doula and served as her husband’s caregiver through his dementia illness and at the end of his life. She is the author of the newly published book Before I Lose My Own Mind: Navigating Life as a Dementia Caregiver. Learn more at her website: drbeverlythorn.com Get the book here Watch on YouTube Listen here: This episode includes: How her husband recognized that something was wrong long before his diagnosis Patients and loved ones need to be empowered to change physicians if they don’t like the care they are receiving The important contributions of end-of-life doulas and advocates The stages of dementia Beverly observed in caring for Walt Why others may not recognize significant changes that the caregiver can see The constant loss and grief of dementia caregiving Why an advance directive tailored for dementia is essential There is a window of time where life values conversations need to be held with patients and loved ones The experience of caregiver grief and guilt Links mentioned in this episode: Related episode: Advance Care Planning for Dementia Check out my Substack: Soulcode – where I share essays on AI, grief, shadow work, and spiritual reflection View my new Patreon tier for Soul Supporters and receive extra reflections as a special bonus NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two newest books!! Stories from the Dark Night and The Tao of Death Get EOLU Podcast Merch here Conversations on Death with ChatGPT – Audiobook here; Print Book here Leave me a message by email: kwyattmd@comcast.net, Twitter, Facebook or Instagram Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Souloin the team at Patreon.com/eolu and receive free gifts like the “Mind if we talk about death?” mini-poster or Love Your Life sticker or coffee mug. PLUS get our regular bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, monthly What to Watch recommendations, Behind the Scenes Bonus content, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously! Buy me a coffee Donate on Paypal 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 everyone who bought me a coffee or donated on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.