11: Death Smiles at Us All

Uncharted Living

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” - Benjamin Franklin
“Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back.” - Russell Crowe (Maximus) in Gladiator
While death is a certainty for all of us, we rarely talk about it for fear of facing our own mortality or being called morbid. We’d rather not think about it, thank you very much. In this episode, we talk with a licensed hospice nurse about the dying process, how it includes the patient but so many others who are left behind to grieve. We discuss what hospice entails, and that the role of a hospice nurse is not “simply changing bed pans and administering morphine,” but instead involves complex spiritual and emotional support for patients and their loved ones and coming alongside families during the final journey. Dianna Sawyer talks candidly with us about being drawn to hospice and leaving a successful career in marketing to be part of one of the most important events of a person’s life - leaving this world.
In this episode:
What hospice is (and isn’t)
Complex family dynamics when someone is dying
How to care for yourself when someone you love is dying
Respecting wishes and making advanced wishes of your own
Re-imagining the “perfect” goodbye
How the most beautiful gift is a plan
Health proxies
Resources for patients and family members
In this episode:
Resources:
Dianna’s blog Sea Salt - www.Diannacalareso.com
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
On Living by Kerry Egan
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Death is but a Dream by Christopher Kerr
Gone From My Sight by Barbara Karnes
https://getyourshittogether.org/
https://goingwithgrace.com/
https://bkbooks.com/
Interested in working with one of us?
Christine Calareso - https://www.calaresocoaching.com/
Rebekah Burns - https://www.rebekahburns.com/
Thai Checel - https://www.abacusenrichment.com/life-coaching
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