The Palliators

Empathy is an important aspect in caring for our patients. It helps our patients and helps us.  Learn more about its importance and learn about tools and skills to help with communicating empathy.

Get the straight poop on constipation and effective therapies and a discussion about the use of docusate.  Drawing from articles in several journals, including JPSM, we discuss the importance of management, eliminating ineffective interventions and providing useful treatment.

Shannon Dunavan, LCSW gives us tips on helping people through all stages of grief, but she focuses on what many think of as the more difficult stages of grief, anger and denial. She turns the tables and starts asking questions to give practical tools for providers caring for those who are processing their grief.

This is an interview with Shannon Dunavan, LCSW and a review of the stages of grief as described by Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, MD. Find tips for understanding and helping people who are grieving.

An overview and discussion of futility with a brief history, tenets, cases and resources

The completion of an interview with a neuro ICU nurse - turned hospice nurse who faces terminal cancer at home with hospice services. She  courageously faces death with thoughtful intention as she focuses on living well.

An interview at the home of a neuro-ICU nurse turned hospice nurse who has terminal ovarian cancer and has chosen to spend the end of her life at home with help from hospice. She shares her experience.

This podcast discusses the JPSM article to help address patients' and families' hope for a miracle

Discussion of how to help patients face a serious situation without providing false hope.

Tips on using the SPIKES protocol for delivering serious or important news.