Everyone Dies (Every1Dies)

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Optimistic bias by a family member charged with healthcare decisions can be a barrier for your wishes to be carried out. Learn how to avoid it in your advance care planning: https://bit.ly/499XQqa

When Families Don’t Hear the Truth: Why We Ignore Poor Prognoses  

When someone we love is critically ill, we hang on every word from the medical team. But research shows something surprising and unsettling: when the prognosis is poor, many families simply don’t hear it. Not because they aren’t listening, and not because doctors aren’t communicating clearly, but because human psychology steps in to protect us from unbearable news. 

Learn Important Facts to Guide You in Your Advance Care Planning 

Listen to learn more about this phenomenon and important considerations when you chose your healthcare decisionmaker. We also rebroadcast the S4E52 episode about preparing your paperwork for decisionmakers to speak for you when you are unable to.

#DeathEducation #SpeakForYourself #YourWishesMatter #AdvanceCarePlanning #EndofLife #ICU #HealthcareProxy #DurablePowerofAttorney #HealthcareDecisions #EveryoneDiesthePodcast #EveryDayisaGift #LivingWill #AdvanceDirective 

In this Episode:

• 00:20 - How Appointed Decision Makers Interpret Information About Prognosis
• 01:51 - Why Do Some Family Members Push for Every Possible Treatment When Further Interventions are Futile?
• 03:35 - How Unrealistic Optimism Affects Decisions in the ICU
• 07:36 - Intro - S4E52 - Durable Power of Attorney
• 12:40 - Overlooked No More: Cordell Jackson
• 20:36 - Are You Prepared to Die?  Get Ideas for Your Advance Care Planning 
• 22:54 - The Importance of an Advance Directive
• 39:47 - Advance Care Planning Example - How to Be Thorough and Precise 
• 50:44 - Outro

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Dementia, aging, and loss can reshape what the holidays means for our families when the people who created our most cherished traditions can no longer lead them.

In this episode, learn how to adapt long-held traditions when aging parents move to retirement homes, experience cognitive decline, or are simply no longer able to host the holidays as they once did. Remember, the heart of the holidays isn’t perfection—it’s belonging. https://bit.ly/44yXd8i

In this Episode:

• 00:16 - How Christmas Traditions Change When A Family Member Has Dementia
• 04:34 - S3E50 Rebroadcast Intro, What Does it Take to Care for a Partner With Dementia?
• 06:10 - Recipe of the Week, Funeral Raisin Pie
• 11:55 - How Becoming a Caregiver Changes the Relationship
• 14:51 - Interview with Michael Porter: Caregiving for a Partner with Huntington's Disease
• 52:16 - Outro

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Is your combination of medications increasing your fall risk? Learn about the rising epidemic of deaths related to falls, and what you can do for prevention in this episode: https://bit.ly/4q1Epqf

Falls are one of the most underestimated health crises facing older adults today—and the numbers are staggering. More than 41,000 Americans over age 65 died from falls in 2023. That’s more than breast cancer, prostate cancer, car crashes, and overdoses combined. And yet, most of us still think of falls as "bad luck" or "just part of aging."

We’re not just talking about fall prevention. We’re talking about injury prevention, mobility, safer aging, and adding healthy years to your life. If you want to stay independent, upright, and living the life you love, this episode is essential listening.

 #FallPrevention #FallRisk #SeniorHeath #Aging #AgingSafely #Overmedication #MedicationReview #ElderExercise #TaiChi #EveryoneDiesThePodcast #EveryDayIsAGift 

In This Episode:

• 03:10 - Are Prescription Drugs Causing the Epidemic of Fatal Falls?
• 08:36 – Movie Review: “The Apprentice”
• 11:01 – Recipe of the Week: Brownie Cookies
• 13:40 – The Importance of a Will
• 22:38 - Understanding Fall Risk and Consequences of a Fall
• 24:09 - Causes of Falls: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Factors
• 25:58 - Causes of Falls: Situational Factors
• 33:01 – What You Can Do To Prevent a Fall
• 47:14 – “Fear” – A Poem by Kahlil Gabran
• 49:11 – Outro

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Nurses are there in our darkest nights, our hardest hours, our miracles and our losses. But who honors nurses at life’s end? In The Last Shift, we share the powerful tribute of a Nurse Honor Guard, who ensure that no nurse’s legacy goes unrecognized, and the story of a nurse who spent nearly five decades in the nursing profession. https://bit.ly/48DcSof

In this Episode:

• 01:59 - An Essay by Ruth, 79, a Nurse For Nearly 50 Years
• 08:18 - Recipe, Pizza and Dip
• 09:23 - "Nurse" - A Pandemic Short Story
• 16:10 - Nurse Honor Guard:  What it is, and How you Can Have a Nightingale Tribute
• 23:49 - The Night I Learned What it Meant to be "The Nurse"
• 36:02 - Outro

#nurses #nurse #ServingOthers #NurseFuneral #NurseMemorial #CareerNurse #NightingaleTribute #CareerChoices #MidnightOil #NurseHonorGuard #EverydayService  #EveryoneDiesThePodcast #EveryDayIsAGift 

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The Chemo Taste Struggle Is Real!

What happens when food stops tasting like food? For many people receiving chemotherapy, one of the most frustrating side effects is that everything tastes wrong. Meals that once brought joy can suddenly taste metallic, bitter, or bland.

In this episode, we explore why chemotherapy changes taste and smell, how it impacts nutrition and emotional well-being, and what you can do to find flavor again. From surprising foods that still taste good to creative meal ideas that help you keep eating, you’ll learn practical ways to nourish your body and reclaim one of life’s simplest pleasures. https://bit.ly/4pf8G5c

Get Our Handy PDF Guide HERE

In this Episode:

• 01:50 - A Man on the Inside, New Season
• 04:23 - Advice from a 90-year Old on Longevity
• 08:18 - Changes in Smell and Taste Perception with Chemotherapy
• 11:01 - Strategies to find Foods that Taste Good with Taste Changes
• 22:41 - Now I Have to Learn to Fly Solo - Greg, Who Lost His Wife to Alzheimer's
• 25:48 - Outro

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Grief is often described as waves that can crash through our lives like a tsunami. But what if you can learn to float, and eventually swim forward in the midst of that grief? We discuss how in this episode today as we also hear advice to someone grieving a friend, a father who lost a son, and a husband who lost his lifelong love to Alzheimer's. https://bit.ly/48gPjBq

#grief #loss #WavesofGrief #MovingForward #coping #healing #HealthPodcast

In this Episode:

• 02:56 - Recipe of the Week: Cinnamon Rolls
• 03:07 - “My Friend Just Died and I Don’t Know What to Do”
• 09:19 - Coping Forward: Mental Health Strategies After Major Loss, by Lucy Tate
• 16:39 - Discussion - Charlie's Journey after His Son's Murder
• 20:10 - "Grief, Am I Doing This Right?" Greg, who lost his wife to Alzheimer's
• 24:18 - Outro

Related Content:

• All Grief Content
• Moving Forward After Loss
• S5E35: Growth and Remembrance: What to Expect Your Third Year of Grief
• S3E24: Can Superpowers Overcome Grief?
• S3E20: Riding the Wave: Navigating the Second Year of Grief
• S6E9: Finding Your Breath in the Midst of Grief
• S6E16: Goals After Grief – Gentle, Practical Steps to Move Forward After Loss

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When advanced disease becomes a long-term reality, the journey changes. It requires strength, not just to survive, but to grow deeply and find a Vibrant Life in the Face of Metastasis. 

This week, we talk about the incredible resilience of the human spirit that finds depth, clarity, and life's true priorities when cancer is treated as a chronic illness.

https://bit.ly/4nYz15Z

#VibrantLife #ChronicCancer #Metastasis #Resilience #HumanSideOfCancer

In This Episode:

• 02:51 - South Dakota - Hot Springs and Kuchen
• 03:31 - Advice Hotline - Get Life Tips from Senior Adults
• 06:06 - Why Cancer is Now Considered a Chronic Disease
• 09:00 - How Cancer Care is Adapting to the Complexity of Longer Lives with Cancer
• 15:39 - Discussion with Charlie - What Are Early Cancer Symptoms; What About Secondary Cancers?
• 20:52 - "My Hands" by- Joseph Hawkins
• 22:02 - Outro

Fifty years ago, a cancer diagnosis often meant a short, intense battle. Today, thanks to incredible advancements in detection and treatments like immunotherapy, cancer is transforming into a chronic disease. We are seeing people with Stage IV, metastatic cancer living for ten years or more.

But this new reality—this longer life—comes with a profound and often unspoken human cost: the uncertainty of cycling on and off treatment, the relentless drain of financial toxicity, and the sheer exhaustion of staying engaged. How do you plan a life when the prognosis is always shifting?

In this episode, we explore what it truly means to manage advanced cancer as a chronic condition. We discuss the evolving, deeply personal relationship between the patient and their care team, the moment a diagnosis becomes a strange kind of gift that brings incredible clarity, and how we can all learn to focus on living well in the time we have.

Join us as we dive into the resilience of the human spirit when faced with the long game of chronic cancer care.

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Pneumonia kills millions every year, often because people wait too long to get help. Learn why denial can be deadly, how to spot the warning signs early, and what you can do to protect yourself and the people you love. https://bit.ly/43S5ROB

In this Episode:

• 01:40 - Avoiding Falls - Kiss Guitarist Ace Frehley Had a Fatal Fall in His Home
• 03:49 - Road Trip to Wyoming and Cowboy Cookies
• 04:43 - Diane Keaton, Died From Pneumonia, Produced a Documentary Called "Heaven"
• 13:36 - Pneumonia-the Silent Global Killer
• 17:01 - What Exactly is Pneumonia?
• 21:05 - How to Avoid a Premature Death from Pneumonia
• 26:00 - When Is It Time to Seek Help for Possible Pneumonia?
• 27:02 - Pneumonia Summary
• 29:03 -  Ticus Poetry from his book WHAT'S LEFT OF ME: Poems of a dead soul
• 30:03 - Outro

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Have you ever had a dream so vivid it felt like your loved one was really there — even if they’ve been gone for years? Is it grief? Memory? Something deeper? Join us for a grounded, open conversation about life, death, and the strange space in between — because in the end, every day is a gift. https://bit.ly/436rcn8

In this episode of Everyone Dies, we explore the surprising number of people — over half of Americans — who say they’ve connected with a dead family member, whether in dreams, gut feelings, or even quiet conversations. We’ll also look at what science has to say about strange brain activity that kicks in after the heart stops, and what it might mean for consciousness at the end of life, such as near-death awareness.

 #EveryoneDiesPodcast #Afterlife #Grief #NearDeathExperience #DreamVisitations #Podcast #LifeAfterDeath #EveryoneDies #DeathandDying 

In this Episode:

• 04:57 - Oregon and Hazelnut Pumpkin Bread
• 05:27 - "How Do You Mourn the End of a Friendship?" Damon Young, Washington Post Magazine
• 10:31 -  How Common is it to Experience a Connection with a Dead Relative/Friend? 
• 13:10 - Near-Death Awareness Before Death; Other Interactions with Dead Relatives
• 16:25 - Experiences of People Who Clinically Died and Were Resuscitated
• 20:11 - Discussion - Your Own Experiences?
• 23:41 - "The Eyes of Grief" by Bobbie Isabel, Medium
• 25:15 - Outro

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Have you or a loved one experienced anxiety before, during or after cancer scans? You're not alone! You may feel like cancer takes away your control, but there are some things you can do to make your life better in this challenging time. Listen to learn why it happens, how it affects both patients and families, and what you can do to manage the emotional rollercoaster of uncertainty. https://bit.ly/4o7eAoj

In this Episode:

• 01:56 - Remembering Michael Caine
• 03:29 - Arizona: The Red Ghost and Tamale Pie
• 06:49 - Scanxiety: Stress or Anxiety Related to Cancer Imaging or Scans
• 09:25 - The "What If" Cycle
• 10:41 - Family Members & Care Team Can Also Get Scanxiety
• 11:30 - Strategies to Cope with Scanxiety
• 13:06 - How to Stay Calm and Confident Before, During and After Scans
• 16:49 - Outro

#Scanxiety #CancerAwareness #EveryoneDiesPodcast #CancerSupport #MentalHealth #CopingWithCancer #CancerSurvivorship #HealthAnxiety #PatientSupport #MindBodyHealth

A normal part of cancer survivorship is to have what are called "surveillance scans" which are an important part of keeping you healthy during survivorship. "Scanxiety" is the anxiety and fear experienced before, during, and after medical imaging tests, such as CT scans, MRIs, or PET scans, and it is a common challenge for people living with a cancer diagnosis. This includes feelings of dread, fear, and uncertainty that can interfere with sleep, appetite, focus, and overall well-being.  Learn strategies to cope so you can stay calm and confident through this difficult time.

Support the show

🎧 Listen to more episodes: https://www.every1dies.org - also get notes, links and expanded resources
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