The Heart of Hospice Podcast

“What do I need to know about you as a person to take the best care of you?”  This is how integrative palliative medicine physician Dr. Delia Chiaramonte starts conversations with her patients. It’s a Dignity Question that lets her patients know she cares about them as a person. Delia works in integrative palliative medicine to care for the whole person. 

Dr. Delia Chiaramonte is a caregiver coach as well as an integrative palliative medicine physician. She’s the founder of the Integrative Palliative Institute and host of The Integrative Palliative Podcast. Dr. Chiaramonte is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Maryland, has published textbook chapters in the fields of integrative and palliative medicine, and was voted a “Top Doctor” by her physician peers. Dr. Chiaramonte believes that self-care is part of the job description of every clinician.  

Delia is the author of Coping Courageously: A Heart-Centered Guide for Navigating a Loved One’s Illness Without Losing Yourself. More information about Dr. Chiaramonte’s Courageous Caregiver program is available at www.CaregivingIsHard.com.

Connect with the Integrative Palliative Institute at integrativepalliative.com.  

Find more information on the Courageous Caregiver program at caregivingishard.com.  

Download Dr. Chiaramonte’s FREE Guide to Caregiving for Women caring for an aging or ill loved one here. 

Find all the resources that Barbara Karnes has to offer at bkbooks.com.

Purchase the End of Life Guideline Series Bundle here.

Find Barbara’s new booklet Always Offer, Never Force: Food at the End of Life here. 

Read Barbara’s blog here. 

Connect with Barbara Karnes on social media:  Facebook  Insta  LinkedIn Twitter   Pinterest YouTube   

Order your copies of The Hospice Care Plan: A Path to Comfort here, now available in English and Spanish!  

Check out the free library of video tutorials from the creators of The Hospice Care Plan hospice nurses Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  

Read more about Nancy and Brenda and their mission to improve hospice care here.

 Find Odonata Care on social media: Facebook YouTube IG TikTok   

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

End of Life Doula Trina Wacasey works to ensure that clients and families have the kind of personalized death care they want. Using family-guided care customized to fit their beliefs, needs, and wants, Trina guides caregivers through deaths, post-mortem care, and rituals after death.  

After working in the corporate world, Trina was drawn to the work of an end of life doula. She volunteered at a hospice agency with their bereavement program, and completed training at the Conscious Dying Institute. The deep and meaningful conversations had great meaning for her. She was fascinated by how individual people feel about death and advance care planning. 

As part of her Doula services, Trina offers families what she calls A Natural Goodbye. It’s an alternative to the traditional funeral. Here’s how she describes it:  

“I offer my clients a unique opportunity to say a Natural Goodbye following the death of a loved one as an alternative to a traditional funeral or formal wake or visitation. They are invited to an intimate two hour, informal gathering in a private, safe space in the community for cherished time with their person.”

Trina is an educator, an encourager, and a companion for those who are walking through a death experience with someone they love.  

Connect with Trina Wacasey at creatinghonoringspaces.com.  

Get a copy of Trina’s Family Involved Death Care Checklist here. 

Learn how Trina utilizes the Mini Mobile Suite here. 

Find all the resources that Barbara Karnes has to offer at bkbooks.com.

Purchase the End of Life Guideline Series Bundle here.

Read Barbara’s blog here. 

Connect with Barbara Karnes on social media:  Facebook  Insta  LinkedIn Twitter   Pinterest YouTube   

Order your copies of The Hospice Care Plan: A Plan to Comfort here, now available in English and Spanish!  

Check out the free library of video tutorials from the creators of The Hospice Care Plan hospice nurses Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  

Read more about Nancy and Brenda and their mission to improve hospice care here.

 Find Odonata Care on social media: Facebook YouTube IG TikTok   

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)

Today’s guest Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar is a Veteran, death doula, compassionate educator, and the founder of In Their Honor, a national initiative raising awareness and addressing Veterans' unique challenges as they approach the end of life.  Qwynn is also the spouse of a combat veteran and understands the role of veteran caregivers.  

1 in 4 Medicare hospice patients is a U.S. military veteran - a quarter of the Medicare hospice population.  Those veterans have special needs when it comes to the end of their lives.  Qwynn recognizes the importance of identifying moral injury, a history of combat service, PTSD, and events of military sexual trauma (for both female and male veterans). Discussion of suicidal ideation and depression should also be a part of their end of life care.  Often veterans have terminal illnesses that are related to their military service, including Agent Orange and burn pit exposure.  The needs of veteran caregivers are unique as well.  Their emotional response and grief may include resentment, depression, anger, guilt, and regret. 

Find more information about In Their Honor at intheirhonor.info.  

Connect with Dr. Qwynn Galloway-Salazar on LinkedIn here.

Find all the resources that Barbara Karnes has to offer at bkbooks.com.

Purchase the End of Life Guideline Series Bundle here.

Read Barbara’s blog here. 

Connect with Barbara Karnes on social media:    Facebook    Insta     LinkedIn   Twitter   Pinterest  YouTube   

Order your copies of The Hospice Care Plan: A Plan to Comfort here, now available in English and Spanish!  

Check out the free library of video tutorials from the creators of The Hospice Care Plan hospice nurses Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  

Read more about Nancy and Brenda and their mission to improve hospice care here.

 Find Odonata Care on social media:  Facebook   YouTube  IG   TikTok   

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you.  If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)

Dr. Kenneth Doka and Alex Lamorie of the Hospice Foundation of America’s Autism and Grief Project are advocates for people with autism.  Dr. Doka is a prolific author, editor, and lecturer, past president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, and a member and past chair of the International Work Group on Death, Dying, and Bereavement. 

Alex Lamorie is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland Global Campus and an autism advocate.  He serves as an advisor on the Hospice Foundation of America's Autism & Grief Project.  Alex's expressive grief artwork was featured in 2021 in the textbook Superhero Grief: The Transformative Power of Loss. 

For any professional who works with grieving adults, having awareness of the needs of persons on the autism spectrum is an important part of their education.  Adults with autism can be overlooked by bereavement and grief workers because their grief expression might look maladaptive, perceived as inappropriate, or not present at all.  Alex, along with other autistic adults, contributes a vital perspective in his role as an advisor for the Autism and Grief Project.  

The Autism & Grief Project provides resources for persons with autism, their families or intimate network, and grief and bereavement professionals. You can find the Project at autismandgrief.org.

Hear why Alex serves on the advisory board here. 

If you’re an adult with autism, there’s support for you here.

If you’re a family member, caregiver, or support person for someone with autism who’s grieving, click here. 

If you’re a clergy person, grief or bereavement professional, find resources here.

Socials for the Autism and Grief Project:    Facebook   Twitter (X)   Insta   YouTube

Find more information about the Hospice Foundation of America here. 

Find all the resources that Barbara Karnes has to offer at bkbooks.com.

Purchase the End of Life Guideline Series Bundle here.

Read Barbara’s blog here. 

Connect with Barbara Karnes on social media:    Facebook    Insta     LinkedIn   Twitter   Pinterest  YouTube   

Order your copies of The Hospice Care Plan: A Plan to Comfort here, now available in English and Spanish!  

Check out the free library of video tutorials from the creators of The Hospice Care Plan hospice nurses Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  

Read more about Nancy and Brenda and their mission to improve hospice care here.

 Find Odonata Care on social media:  Facebook   YouTube  IG   TikTok    

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you.  If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)

Devin (D.S.) Moss brings a sense of reverence for life and a curiosity about death to his work as a chaplain. During a conversation with a Zen Master about Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife, the suggestion was made to him that he would make a good chaplain. Devin didn’t think he could do the work of spiritual care because of his humanist beliefs. He doesn’t believe in God. Turns out the Zen Master didn’t believe in God, either. 

Despite a religious upbringing, Devin embraces nontheistic, or humanist, beliefs. His sense of exploration led him to attend seminary and become a chaplain. He has found great fullness and human connection in the work of a chaplain. After completing his CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) internship, Devin accepted a position to provide spiritual care for an inmate on death row in Oklahoma. He spent most of 2023 supporting convicted murderer Phillip Hancock. Their relationship culminated in Hancock’s death by execution in November of that year.  

D.S. is also the host of the Memento Mori podcast, a show about spirituality and death he started before he became a chaplain. He’s continuing his exploration and questioning in a new podcast coming the end of summer, 2024. You can find him at mystartingpoint.life.  

Connect with Devin (D.S.) Moss on IG or IG for Remember to Die.

Watch Devin’s talk at EndWell 2023 here.

Find all the resources that Barbara Karnes has to offer at bkbooks.com.

Purchase the End of Life Guideline Series Bundle here.

Read Barbara’s blog here. 

Connect with Barbara Karnes on social media:  Facebook  Insta  LinkedIn Twitter   Pinterest YouTube   

Order your copies of The Hospice Care Plan: A Plan to Comfort here, now available in English and Spanish!  

Check out the free library of video tutorials from the creators of The Hospice Care Plan hospice nurses Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  

Read more about Nancy and Brenda and their mission to improve hospice care here.

 Find Odonata Care on social media: Facebook YouTube IG TikTok    

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)

1 in 4 Medicare hospice patients is a U.S. military veteran.  End of life workers need to know how to take care of their special needs and enhance their quality of life.  It’s important for EOL teams to know the signs of PTSD and how to listen when these patients (and their caregivers!) are communicating what they need.

Many military veterans experience trauma, guilt, and anger, causing what is identified as “soul injury”.  Having a soul injury or PTSD creates a need for specialized care.  Opus Peace has a great inventory tool for assessing whether someone has experienced a soul injury.   The Soul Inventory is available for free on the Opus Peace website.  You can access the Soul Injury Inventory here.  

Every discipline on the hospice team, including the End of Life (or Death) Doula, brings skills that seriously ill and terminally ill veterans need.  The caregivers providing support for those veterans need support as well.  Those caregivers are advocates, coordinators, and spokespersons for the veterans they care about.     

Find all the resources that Barbara Karnes has to offer at bkbooks.com.

Purchase the End of Life Guideline Series Bundle here.

Read Barbara’s blog here. 

Connect with Barbara Karnes on social media:    Facebook    Insta     LinkedIn   Twitter   Pinterest  YouTube   

Register for the Tree of Life Conference from the International Doula Life Movement here. 

Want to know more about doulas, or connect with others who are doing death doula work?  Visit internationaldoulalifemovement.com. 

If you’re interested in becoming a certified death doula through IDLM, click here.

Access all the courses that IDLM provides here.

See all the events that IDLM is offering by clicking here.  

Connect with IDLM on social media.   Facebook    IG   YouTube 

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you.  If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)

Christina Keys can tell you the realities of being a caregiver for someone with a serious illness - the good, the bad, and the ugly. As the sole caregiver for her mother following a catastrophic stroke, Christina experienced financial, emotional, mental, physical, and relational impacts. The relationship between the two women was complicated, following a history of childhood abuse.  

When her mom needed end of life care, Christina was juggling a full-time job as well as all of her mom’s care. The caregiving needs became much more intense, often requiring two people. End of life conversations were frequent so Christina knew exactly what her mother’s wishes were. One specific request was a casket from Costco! The hospice care got off to a rough start at first, but Christina found an agency that was a better fit for her mom’s care. Knowing she would need the additional support, Christina also engaged an End of Life Doula. Christina has taken the memories of her caregiving experience and all the lessons she’s learned to support other caregivers.  

You can connect with Christina and the services she provides at christinakeys.com.

Socials for Christina Keys: Facebook  TikTok   Instagram  LinkedIn   

Find more caregiving resources at caregiving.com.  

Register for the Tree of Life Conference from the International Doula Life Movement here. 

Want to know more about doulas, or connect with others who are doing death doula work? Visit internationaldoulalifemovement.com. 

If you’re interested in becoming a certified death doula through IDLM, click here.

Access all the courses that IDLM provides here.

See all the events that IDLM is offering by clicking here.  

Connect with IDLM on social media. Facebook  IG YouTube 

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

This trio of End of Life Doulas is educating the public and other doulas about EOL doula work, and how they support people as they die.  Diane Button, Gabby Jimenez, and Angela Shook are sharing their wisdom along with practical guidance for doula work.  With heart, compassion, and respect for the intensity of death, the three EOL doulas discussed the unknowns about doulas.  They openly acknowledge the difficulties doulas face when starting their practice, and the public’s lack of awareness about doula work. 

Diane, Gabby, and Angela have collaborated to write The Doula Tool Kit: The Complete Practical Guide for End-of-Life Doulas & Caregivers.  It’s the quintessential guide to the services of EOL (or death) doulas, providing tips and templates for new doulas to jump-start their doula practice.  Caregivers, nurses, and other hospice workers can benefit from the book as well.  Anyone working with someone with a serious illness or their caregivers should know the work of End of Life Doulas. 

Purchase a copy of The Doula Tool Kit: The Complete Practical Guide for End-of-Life Doulas & Caregivers by clicking here.     

Connect with Diane Button at dianebutton.com 

 Find Angela Shook at angelashook.com.  

 Connect with Gabby Jimenez at The Hospice Heart website.  

Register for the Tree of Life Conference from the International Doula Life Movement here. 

Want to know more about doulas, or connect with others who are doing death doula work?  Visit internationaldoulalifemovement.com. 

If you’re interested in becoming a certified death doula through IDLM, click here.

Access all the courses that IDLM provides here.

See all the events that IDLM is offering by clicking here.  

Connect with IDLM on social media.   Facebook    IG   YouTube 

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you.  If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)

Hospice nurse Shelley Henry is supporting nurses working in end of life care with advocacy, video tips, and support for their self care.  Shelley uses the two words “divine intervention” to describe how she got ino working with patients at the end of their lives.   After 20 years in the hospice industry, Shelley remains committed to preserving the art of hospice nursing. She’s the president of The Amity Group, a staffing firm exclusively catering to hospice.  Shelley posts videos across her social media platforms featuring practical tips and guidance for hospice nursing.  

Shelley has designed a nurses’ bag that has all the pockets and places that hospice nurses need.  Check out the Tip Bag (along with her hospice documentation resources) at amitystaffing.com.

Find all the training and consulting services of the Amity Group here.

Watch Shelley’s videos on her social media.     Facebook    LinkedIn    IG    TikTok

Register for the Tree of Life Conference from the International Doula Life Movement here. 

Want to know more about doulas, or connect with others who are doing death doula work?  Visit internationaldoulalifemovement.com. 

If you’re interested in becoming a certified death doula through IDLM, click here.

Access all the courses that IDLM provides here.

See all the events that IDLM is offering by clicking here.  

Connect with IDLM on social media.   Facebook    IG   YouTube 

If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by emailing [email protected].

Sarah Cavanaugh believes having conversations about death helps us clear the air and find peace, whether those discussions are in person or in our hearts and minds.  Sarah is the founder of Peaceful Exit,  a company that explores all aspects of grief and loss. She co-designed a curriculum to open the conversation around the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of death and dying. 

She also hosts Peaceful Exit, a podcast that explores life, death and grief. In each episode, she talks with an author who has written extensively on the topic to help us normalize death as part of the human experience, no matter who you are, no matter your politics, spiritual faith or socioeconomic status. Peaceful Exit explores how to radically accept our eventual demise, how to talk about it and even plan for it. But it’s not all doom and gloom – there's joy, meaning and connection to be found in exploring the messiness of death, dying and grief.

Connect with Sarah Cavanaugh, host of the Peaceful Exit podcast:

Website: peacefulexit.net

Podcast: Peaceful Exit

Online Courses

Contact Peaceful Exit

Socials:  Insta   Facebook   LI

Register for the Tree of Life Conference from the International Doula Life Movement here. 

Want to know more about doulas, or connect with others who are doing death doula work?  Visit internationaldoulalifemovement.com. 

If you’re interested in becoming a certified death doula through IDLM, click here.

Access all the courses that IDLM provides here.

See all the events that IDLM is offering by clicking here.  

Connect with IDLM on social media.   Facebook    IG   YouTube 

If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.  

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to [email protected].

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)