End-of-Life University

Learn about Rosie Grant’s unique project to memorialize those who have died by cooking their special recipes. My guest Rosie Grant has a library science degree from the University of Maryland and now works at UCLA as an archivist. She is well known on social media as a “cemetery tiktoker” who researches recipes found on gravestones in cemeteries across the U.S. She shares her story and how she began to collect these gravestone recipes and cook them to honor the people who left them behind. We also discuss the value of exploring cemeteries and the treasures that can be found there. Learn more at her website and social media sites: ghostlyarchive.com Instagram: @ghostlyarchive YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: How Rosie got interested in gathering gravestone recipes The benefits of visiting cemeteries as part of travel Rosie’s inspiration to visit the gravestones she has learned about and to prepare the recipes she has found there How food is connected to death and grief How Rosie finds gravestone recipes to cook Other interesting cemetery discoveries Rosie has made Talking about gravestone recipes is a less threatening way to approach the subject of death and dying How she finds gravestones that contain recipes Links mentioned in this episode: Keen Class with Mary McLaughlin; Previous episode Book recommendation: The Sweetest Therapy by Chase Cassine Showmen’s Rest Cemetery “City of Souls” – town of Colma CA Find a Grave NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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 includes: Jokotifa’s path to becoming a funeral director and death doula Why she focuses on empowered grieving through Mourning Space Why deathcare providers need better training about grief Why rituals at the end of life are important What to do if a loved one refuses a funeral How and why to plan your own funeral in advance Each state and country has unique laws about funerals and disposition What hospice providers should know about the removal process to support the family after death How to have conversations with loved ones about funeral preferences Links mentioned in this episode: Get the Death Deck here Book recommendations: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion; Faith, Hope and Carnage by Nick Cave and Sean O’Hagan NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 those who’ve bought me a coffee! Also many thanks to all of you who joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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 physicians who want to begin working with hospice. Learn more about her work at her website: mourningdovemedical.com Get the book here YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: Why Dr. G started a mobile medical practice Why some patients get discharged from hospice How Dr. G provides continuity of care for people who no longer qualify for hospice care How she guides people who are “pre-hospice” to do advance care planning and to be prepared for hospice when the timing is right How Dr. G educates physicians about working with hospice and palliative care What the book The Real Deal About Hospice teaches patients and their families Why we still need more education about hospice for the general public and the medical community What is the “hospice lifestyle” Links mentioned in this episode: Get the Audiobook for All the Flowers of the Mountain here Book: Dr. G’s H.O.S.P.I.C.E. Pocket Guide NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 donors James Reinders, Karen, and Susan Wright. Also thank you to Frederick Marx for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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 includes: How Suzanne ended up becoming a hospice nurse and then creating Doulagivers Institute Following intuition to find our path Gaps that exist in hospice care, including that families don’t receive training for caring for a loved one Why we need the Good Death Campaign to train 1 million people as death doulas The benefits of having a “roadmap” for the end of life How Death Doula World Training Day will benefit the end-of-life movement in Guatemala What Suzanne learned about life and death on a trip to Zimbabwe The greatest lesson Suzanne has learned from working with the dying There’s a huge need for death doulas now and in the future The need for death doulas to do community education Links mentioned in this episode: NEW! Additional Live screening and discussion for documentary film The Last Ecstatic Days. Register here. Find other screening dates for The Last Ecstatic Days here Register for Death Doula World Training Day – April 18th at 7 pm Eastern NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 thank you to Påivi Vallo for your donation on Paypal. Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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 their own experience of meeting and falling in love through a senior dating app. They share their tips and suggestions for seniors looking for love and facing the challenge of dating after a long-term relationship. Learn more at their websites: opentohope.com goldendatingdoctors.com Get the book YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: The value of senior dating for alleviating loneliness and isolation in later life What seniors need to know about the current dating world Tips for trying an online dating app for the first time The most important qualities to look for in a later life partner Advice for later life partners whose children are not supportive of their new relationship How seniors in a new relationship might discuss difficult issues such as finances, caregiving expectations and end-of-life preparations What senior couples should consider before deciding whether or not to marry Links mentioned in this episode: NEW! Additional Live screening and discussion for documentary film The Last Ecstatic Days. Register here. Find other screening dates for The Last Ecstatic Days here NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 thank you to Leslie for buying me a coffee and everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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: thedeathdesigner.com homefuneralalliance.org YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: What the National Home Funeral Alliance provides Why home funerals are important How funeral homes can help support community deathcare What is human-centered design and why it’s important The power of simple small changes to make a difference Designing products and systems for the needs of the most vulnerable people benefits everyone Challenges facing end-of-life care from the perspective of a young person The need for a business model for death doulas Potential changes coming to the “Funeral Rule” to increase transparency around funeral home prices Links mentioned in this episode: NEW! Additional Live screening and discussion for documentary film The Last Ecstatic Days. Register here. NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 donors Kelly G. and Yuka Itahashi. Also thank you to Pradeep Berry and Kathleen Lynch for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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 country. Learn more at: compassionatecommunities.us View handout below or download here YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: How the four of us came together as a “think tank” What is a Compassionate Community Brief history of the compassionate community model How this model could benefit end-of-life care in the U.S. in general How the compassionate community approach can help us address specific issues: community death education (especially in rural areas), veteran care, caregiver crisis “End-of-Life Friendly Criteria” as a simple tool to assess and map our communities Public Health Palliative Care International (PHPCI) as a resource FREE presentation on Compassionate Communities Model available May 1, 2024 (email with May 1st in the subject line: info@thepeacefulpresenceproject.org) Links mentioned in this episode: Virtual Screening for The Last Ecstatic Days – March 24th 4 PM Pacific (Hosted by Karen Wyatt MD) – register here Register for Q&A Session with Star Bradbury about her book “Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years” at: https://bit.ly/starbradbury Get on the mailing list for the Compassionate Communities Model Presentation! Send an email to info@thepeacefulpresenceproject.org with May 1st in the subject line and you will be notified when it is available. PHPCI: https://www.phpci.org Previous interview with Dr. Libby Sallnow NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 donors Penny Amyot and Amy Wilson. Also thank you to Anonymous for buying me a cup of coffee, Paullette MacDougal for sending a donation by mail and to everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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 with a very special patient at the end of his life. Learn more at the following websites: aditisethimd.com ccld.community thelastecstaticdaysmovie.com Register for screening YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: Ethan Sisser’s journey and how Aditi came to work with him What inspired the making of The Last Ecstatic Days How Ethan served as a teacher for others during his life and in his dying process How Ethan called together a community of people willing to help care for him as he was dying The power of social media that Ethan harnessed throughout his journey after his diagnosis How Aditi was inspired to start the Center for Conscious Living and Dying after caring for Ethan The upcoming screenings for the film and how to register Links mentioned in this episode: Virtual Screening for The Last Ecstatic Days – March 24th 4 PM Pacific (Hosted by Karen Wyatt MD) – register here Register for Q&A Session with Star Bradbury about her book “Successfully Navigating Your Parents’ Senior Years” at: https://bit.ly/starbradbury NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 donor Amy Morgan. Also thank you to Dawn Briskey for joining the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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 benefit of hospice care and we delve deeply into our own grief experiences and what we learned from them. Learn more about Barbara’s work at her website: bkbooks.com Get the book here YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: What hospices are required to provide for bereavement care Why grievers may not attend bereavement groups offered by hospices How hospice volunteers can be helpful with bereavement Why some grievers may prefer more solitude and less interaction with others in the early days after a death Learning how to live without a loved one who has died is the ongoing work of grief The grief we learned about in textbooks is not the same as the real experience of deep grief Why support groups may be more helpful later in the grief process Anticipatory grief that occurs from the moment of diagnosis Journaling as a tool for grieving How our grief experiences can be sacred to us Links mentioned in this episode: Sign up for Help Texts to get grief support as an individual or an organization Toby Keith video Previous interview with Mary Francis O’Connor on The Grieving Brain NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 donors Jenny and Kristine. Also thank you to Jean for buying me a coffee and everyone who has joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

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 visit the website: zencare.org Get the book here YouTube Channel Listen here: This episode includes: Awake at the Bedside as a tool for caregivers and death professionals Lessons learned during the AIDS epidemic Koshin’s experience caring for his grandmother at the end of her life The importance of curiosity in life and at the end of it The lack of contemplative practice in Western medicine Daily question: Am I actually living according to my values? NY Zen Center’s Contemplative Medicine Fellowship The importance of understand suffering and how to be with it How the mystery of life is actually part of the medicine of life Links mentioned in this episode: NY Zen Center’s Contemplative Medicine Fellowship NEW Gift Guides for Caregivers, People Receiving Care, and People Who are Grieving Get my two new 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 Soul Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here Join 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 donors Michelle Wickum and Robin Bissell. Also thank you to everyone who has bought me a coffee or joined the $10 for 10 Years Campaign! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.