What Now? On the threshold of life, death, and grief.

For years our culture has not talked openly about death by suicide and this only amplifies the grief, trauma and isolation of the grief journey. It's an unbearable grief, often made even harder because it's not talked about. 

In this episode, we host Maureen Pollard, MSW, a social worker who specializes in traumatic grief. With her 30 years of expertise and experience Maureen compassionately guides us through the unique aspects of supporting a loved one grieving a death by suicide. 

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In this episode we have the privilege of learning and speaking from Dr MaryCatherine (MC) McDonald, author of Unbroken: The Trauma Response Is Never Wrong—And Other Things You Need to Know to Take Back Your Life.  
MC helps us understand the nature of trauma, how it lives in us and how it shows up in our nervous system and our lives. She makes the connection between how some of our grief experiences are both a grief AND trauma experience. We aren't broken because we experience trauma, it's our nervous system's way of protecting us through an unbearable experience. Many of us experience trauma and don't know it. 
Listen to this episode to help you hold yourself and others with more compassion and understanding.  

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In the opening episode of our second season we have the honour of speaking with Dr. Chris Blake the new Medical Director of Hospice Peterborough. Chris shares what brought him to a career in palliative medicine and his philosophy of care. What shines through in our discussion is the deeply human approach he brings to his practice. 

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The hosts look back at the inaugural season of What Now? and chat about the breadth and incredible guests that joined them.
Stay tuned for season 2 coming this Fall!

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In this episode our very own Julie Brown courageously shares with us her experience of living with a cancer diagnosis.  

Julie walks us through the processes of discovery, diagnosis and emergency surgery to chemotherapy and beyond.

She boldly  shares her experiences of fear and terror, exhaustion and determination and the caring love of her family and friends.

For Julie hers was a transformative journey, equally  personal, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual. 

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In this episode, we have the honour of speaking with Bill Lockington, founding Partner of LLF Lawyers about Powers of Attorneys and Wills.  Bill offers a straightforward approach and brings clarity to these sometimes confusing and difficult processes that we often refer to as the business side of death and dying.

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In this episode we have the honour of speaking with Dr. Naheed Dosani. Dr Dosani is a palliative physician in Toronto and founder of Palliative Education and Care for the Homeless (PEACH).  The PEACH program, based out of the Inner City Health Associates (ICHA) in Toronto, provides community-based hospice palliative care to individuals regardless of their housing status or factors such as mental health, poverty or substance use. Through their work and advocacy the team at PEACH have challenged the status quo and brought equity to the health care system by providing palliative and hospice care directly to those living on the street. Dr. Dosani’s inspirational words and actions challenge and encourage us to see the humanity in our society's most vulnerable and often times forgotten members. 

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In part 2 of  Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID),  the hosts share their experiences and learnings from working with individuals and their families, who have chosen to die by MAID.  They explore how a MAID death and subsequent grief can result in some unique issues in the dying and grief journey.

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Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) is a relatively new and evolving way to die in Canada.  In this episode our guest, Dr Kaetlen Wilson, shares with us the steps involved in accessing MAID.  With genuine care and respect, Kaetlen walks us through the process from making the request, the eligibility assessment, and finally, the provision of MAID.


*DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes and should not be considered an endorsement or promotion of Medical Assistance in Dying. Hospice Peterborough delivers high-quality end-of-life care with a client-centered focus on comfort and dignity. 

For more information on MAID at Hospice Peterborough, please visit hospicepeterborough.org/news-stories. 

Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: [email protected]

In this episode, we explore the unique grief dynamics that are present when death is unexpected.

Have feedback about the podcast? Have an idea for a future episode? Get in touch with us: [email protected]