Best Life Best Death

Founder of of the Doulagivers Institute, one of the largest doula training institutes in the US, Suzanne O’Brien RN shares her expertise and opinions about how we approach death and dying. With 98% of the hands-on care at the end of life done by family caregivers, she asks, “What can we do to support them? What do they need? What can we provide to fill in the gaps?" For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ Doulagivers - www.doulagivers.com

This week enjoy the perspectives of two hospice chaplains, Ellie Douglass and Kathy Gambino. What does their job entail? What role do they play on a hospice team? What insights can they offer about when and how to use hospice? And most importantly – how do families benefit from what they bring to the experience of the end of life. As Ellie says, "The word 'chaplain' can be a little bit loaded, depending on your life experience. Our role is to walk alongside." For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ https://www.artoftransitions.com/ instagram.com/artoftransitions

This week I talk with my friend and colleague Aimee Yawnick. She and I are both end-of-life coaches who teach classes and workshops + work with individuals. In this episode, we discuss: how talking about death changes your life; why conversations about mortality matter; how a class can help people grapple with big questions; what it takes to have accountability; what sorts of materials we bring to the table; and what people take away weeks and months later. Why have this conversation?! For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at:Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ Facebook: facebook.com/aimee.yawnick

As we age, one of the biggest things we need is social connections! Listen in as social media tutor and trainer Joyce Feustel and I talk about how social media creates connections – with family, friends, past-times, careers, hobbies, and “kindred spirit groups." How can social media platforms help? How do Facebook, Instagram and Linked In differ? What about http://meetup.com? How do we get started, if we don’t know how to begin? https://boomerssocialmediatutor.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/joycefeustelsocialmediatrainer/ https://www.instagram.com/joycefeustelsocialmediatrainer/ https://www.facebook.com/boomerssocialmediatutor https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2s7fzNl0OaGg1jB4lmse1g/featured For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠ Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Emerson Lee shares a view of dementia that broadens how we perceive the loss of cognitive abilities – and thus might shift how we deal with such changes. What if we put less emphasis on mental abilities and found ways to connect, relate and create? What if caregivers understood how to find the “micro delights” for each individual, thus supporting connection and regulation? What if your fears of dementia could be eased through greater understanding of possibilities and planning ahead? What if caregivers gained new tools and resources to support themselves and their loved ones? https://www.makinghappymemories.com/ http://instagram.com/letsmakemoments http://facebook.com/happymemorieseldersupport https://www.youtube.com/@happymemorieseldersupport For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠ Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Hospice Nurse Penny is everywhere on social media with her fast-paced, humorous, informative commentary, through which she offers education about death and dying. As a hospice nurse, Penny sees firsthand the misconceptions about hospice and how – when understood for its what it is and what it is not – “Hospice provides education and support and a team.” On BLBD podcast episode #100, we discuss how you “get on” hospice, in what ways families are supported when they choose hospice, the “right” time to visit, the “end of life rally” that is sometimes seen, and "quality of life over quantity of life." Bottom line: What do people need to know to take advantage of what hospice has to offer? Find Penny on IG and FB: Instagram Facebook For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠ Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Jennifer and I talk about this rare treat of the book she created! Intimate, never preachy; concrete but not a self-help book; art-sy but so much more; personal yet applicable to so many. I love this book, in which Jennifer explores the death of her husband and her own survivorship, through the facts and the feelings of the experience. https://www.hospicedrswidow.com/ Find Jennifer on IG For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠ Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

In this Bonus Episode #1, I tell you more about why I interviewed these people, and they each share more about themselves and their work. Hear more from Theresa Brown #62, Barbara Karnes #64, 65, 27 and 28, and Avani Dilger #69. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠ Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠

Lisa Pahl and Lori LoCicero met when Lori’s husband was dying, in his 40s. Together, they realized they could create a tool to help families and friends start conversations before it was too late. As Lori notes, “Why are we waiting until that [last] moment to talk about it… that’s when we don’t want to talk about it, that’s when it’s hardest to talk.” We need simple tools to get conversations going earlier in our lives and in ways that don’t feel overly heavy or overwhelming. That’s where the Death Deck and the EOL Deck come in. These two decks, designed with both multiple choice and open-ended questions, can help when we aren’t sure where to even begin. Learn more at: ⁠Thedeathdeck.com⁠

Carrie is a doula and a sister to a man with disabilities. She wants people to consider how communication, comprehension and pain management are different concerns for the population she specializes in. How can medical teams understand more about their needs? Who speaks for them, if they cannot speak for themselves? What are their issues at the end of life, and how do they differ from the general population? For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at ⁠⁠www.bestlifebestdeath.com⁠⁠ Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: ⁠⁠www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath⁠⁠