We talked with:

• Catherine Newman is a writer who has written a gazillion columns, articles, and canned-bean recipes for magazines and newspapers. Her essays have been widely anthologized. She is the author of the memoirs "Waiting for Birdy" and "Catastrophic Happiness," the middle-grade novel "One Mixed-Up Night," and the bestselling kids' life-skills books "How to Be a Person" and "What Can I Say?" "We All Want Impossible Things" is her first adult novel. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts where she is the secretary of Creative Writing at Amherst College. Oh, and she has a Ph.D.
• Maisha T. Robinson, M.D., is an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Florida, with a joint appointment in the Department of Internal Medicine. Upon joining the staff of Mayo Clinic, she established the clinic's first neuropalliative care program and she currently serves as the chair of the Division of Palliative Medicine and as the program director for the Palliative Medicine Fellowship. Dr. Robinson has spoken nationally and internationally on neuropalliative care, she edited a book titled Case Studies in Neuropalliative Care, and she is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine Approval Committee on Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

We talked about:

In this episode, Dr. Millstine and her guests discuss:

• The shift from fighting for life to getting ready for death. Entering hospice care requires a mental shift. But Catherine says this shift can be a relief as the dying person releases the pressure to "get better." Dr. Robinson says hospice can improve quality of life — for the person who is dying and for friends and family — and prepare everyone for the physical, emotional and spiritual challenges in the coming disease stages.
• The shift from caregiving to grieving. If you're caring for someone in hospice, you may experience anticipatory grief. But the grief that comes after death may be quite different from your feelings from before they died, sometimes in surprising ways. You may also struggle to adjust to the abrupt end of your identity as a caregiver. 
• The shifts from crying to laughing. Being a friend to someone as they die often means reminiscing, and that's oftentimes funny. This levity can be a gift for everyone involved. Our guests also talk about practical ways to support loved ones and caretakers during the last stages of life. 

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