Learn how planning ahead for after-death care can help loved ones with grief and loss. My guest Jokotifa Alaye is a licensed funeral professional and NEDA certified end-of-life doula with a focus on grief. She created Mourning Space to fill the gaps in education and support that society requires for healthy grieving. She discusses the importance of funeral planning as a gift for loved ones, finding a funeral director or celebrant who can help carry out your wishes, and how to foster empowered grieving. Learn more at her website: mourningspace.com YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode inc ..read more

Learn how a physician creatively meets the needs of patients who don’t qualify for hospice services. My guest Dr. Kaishauna Guidry is an author, podcaster, healthcare advocate, mentor and educator. She came to medicine and hospice later in her career and founded Mourning Dove Medical as a private mobile medical practice, serving home-bound patients at the late stages of life and she is the author of The Real Deal About Hospice: Short Stories Highlighting the Advantages of Hospice Care for Patients and Families. She discusses her path to this work, her books and podcast, and how she coaches p ..read more

Learn about a movement with a goal to train 1 million death doulas around the world. My guest Suzanne O’Brien RN is the founder and CEO of Doulagivers Institute and a pioneer in the global death doula movement. She was awarded Worldwide Leader in Healthcare by the International Nurse Association and named Humanitarian Ambassador for Oprah Magazine in 2019. She discusses her experiences bringing death doula trainings to an international audience and her goal to train 1 million people to be death doulas. Learn more at her website: doulagivers.com YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode inclu ..read more

Learn about an informative and inspirational book to help seniors find love in their lives after experiencing loss through death or divorce. My special guests this week, Drs. Gloria Horsley and Frank Powers, are a senior couple who met later in life, after experiencing loss. Gloria is a marriage and family therapist and Frank is a psychologist so between them they possess a lot of knowledge about grief, loss and relationships, including the deadly impact of loneliness on seniors in our society. Together they’ve written the book Open to Love: The Secrets of Senior Dating, which springs from t ..read more

Learn how the concept of human-centered design can improve how we care for people at end of life and also how we operate our businesses. My guest Isabel Knight is a human-centered designer and end-of-life guide who founded The Death Designer to provide design services for deathcare businesses and non-profits. She is also the president of the National Home Funeral Alliance, which teaches people about community deathcare and how to conduct a funeral from home. She discusses her work as an end-of-life guide, home funerals, and the concept of human-centered design. Learn more at these websites ..read more

Learn about a powerful international model that calls for a public health approach to end-of-life care and how we are championing it in the U.S. This week I am hosting three guests who are my collaborators in a “think tank” on the Compassionate Communities Model: Elizabeth Johnson and Erin Collins of The Peaceful Presence Project and Qwynn Galloway-Salazar, creator of the Caring for Veterans Through the End-of-Life Series. We discuss the need for a Compassionate Communities approach to end-of-life care here in the U.S. and offer resources and ideas for spreading this model throughout the cou ..read more

Learn about THE LAST ECSTATIC DAYS, a film about a young man with brain cancer in search of community, and the hospice doctor who gives up everything to honor his dying wish. My guest Dr. Aditi Sethi-Brown is a hospice and palliative care physician, end-of-life doula, and musician. She is the founder and executive director of the Center for Conscious Living and Dying and an emerging and important voice for shifting our cultures understanding and approach to dying, death, and bereavement care. She discusses the documentary film The Last Ecstatic Days, which features her work wi ..read more

Learn about grief from the perspective of two hospice providers on their personal experiences of loss. This week I’m happy to be speaking once again to my recurring guest Barbara Karnes RN, hospice nurse, author, thought leader and expert on end-of-life care and the dynamics of dying. Barbara is the author of “the little blue book” used by hospices around the world to teach families what to expect as their loved one dies. She is also the author of My Friend, I Care, a book about grief that she designed to be used as a sympathy card. She discusses the bereavement support that is a required be ..read more

Learn about contemplative practices for medical providers offered by the NY Zen Center for Contemplative Care. My guest Koshin Paley Ellison is an author, Zen teacher, and Jungian psychotherapist. He co-founded the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care, which offers contemplative approaches to care through education, personal caregiving, and Zen practice. Koshin is also the co-editor of Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End of Life Care. He discusses his work with people who are dying and grieving and the life lessons he has learned. For more information vi ..read more

Learn how an innovative curriculum is tackling loneliness and social isolation in older adults and bridging the generation gap. My guest Dr. Jeremy Holloway is Assistant Professor and Director of Geriatric Education at the University of North Dakota. He discusses his research which focuses on the social determinants of health, specifically self-efficacy, connectedness, and resiliency of older adults. Dr. Holloway will share information about the intergenerational curriculum he created, called Tellegacy, that helps combat the social isolation and loneliness of older adults. Learn more at thes ..read more