Ask a Death Doula

How to Fill the ”Hospice Gap”

Date: 6/7/23

How to Fill the "Hospice Gap"

 

Hospice is a beautiful model of care, but at the present time, due mostly to Medicare guidelines, we are seeing major "gaps" in hospice care.

 

When someone is dying, we only have one opportunity to have it go well- there are no do overs. This is why it is vital to understand the hospice gaps and what we can do to fill them.

 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

 

Topic #1 What Hospice Care Is

Topic #2 What Hospice Care Isn’t

Topic #3 What YOU Need to Know to Fill the "Hospice Gap"

 

P.S. I will be giving a FREE COPY of the Doulagivers Hospice Handbook to everyone that shows up LIVE to the FREE Doulagivers 90-Minute Level 1 End of Life Doula Live Webinar Training Thursday, June 22nd at 7pm ET! Everyone who attends the 90-Minute Training will receive a free copy of this invaluable resource (a $49 value!) as a thank you for their participation. Click Here to Register and Spread the Word!

Links Mentioned in This Episode

<<Click here to get your copy of the The Doulagivers Hospice Handbook

 

Learn More: Doulagivers Institute Click here

 

Please make sure to share this podcast with at least three of your friends! This is how we change the end of life- together.

 

xo Suzanne

The Marriage of Death and Spirituality

Date: 6/1/23

The Marriage of Death and Spirituality

 

When I was just starting my career as a hospice nurse…

the things I witnessed…

the things I learned…

the things dying people shared with me… changed my LIFE!

 

At the end of life, as someone's physical body is diminishing, their spiritual body is growing and there is one point in the journey that they get all this spiritual wisdom. 

 

This is what they say:

 

Trust that all the experiences in your life have been lessons to bring you closer to a higher state of being.

I can honestly say that the most painful experiences I have been through turned out to be my greatest teachers.

While working at the bedside, I discovered that this was the perspective shared by many of my dying patients. They were able to reflect on their own experiences from a different point of view to locate the good in them - uncovering the hidden meaning within them and finding the path towards soul growth.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

 

Topic #1 The way that the spiritual body of energy grows as people get close to the time of death. This is where people get their "spiritual wisdom" or "spiritual eyes".

Topic #2 How looking at life with a different lens of perspective- you can see the lessons and gifts revealed in ALL circumstances.

Topic #3 How we can live in a higher vibrational frequency now by using  "The R.A.I. Technique".

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

<<Click here to reserve you seat in the FREE Doulagivers Universal Life Mastery Masterclass Webinar (ULM) June 7th 

 

Learn More: Doulagivers Institute Click here

 

Please make sure to share this podcast with at least three of your friends! This is how we change the end of life- together.

 

xo Suzanne

How to Care for Dying Veterans

How to Care for Dying Veterans

Veterans experience extraordinary emotional and mental challenges as they near the end of life due to the experiences and trauma they endured serving their country,” O’Brien explained. “Recognizing their specific needs and providing them with proven techniques to help them on their life journey is a tremendous gift we are delighted to share with military families.

 

642,000 Veterans die each year in the US

 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

 

Topic #1 Why we need specific end of life care for veterans

Topic #2 How the complex trauma that veterans experience prevents them from having a positive end of life.

Topic #3 How the new studies of psychedelic therapies may help veterans at the end of life and life

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Doulagivers Level 1 End of Life Doula Training Veterans Edition Click here

 

Free Family Caregiver Resource Center Click here

 

In Their Honor Click Here

Learn More: Doulagivers Institute Click here

 

 

Please make sure to share this podcast with at least three of your friends! This is how we change the end of life- together.

 

xo Suzanne

How The Death Positive Movement is Giving us Life

Date: 5/3/23

 

How The Death Positive Movement is Giving us Life

Death is having a rebirth!

 

People today are going back to their roots with the re-adoption of home wakes and funerals. Centuries ago, this was the common way to handle death. People would die at home and remain there for the viewing and the ceremony to honor their life. In fact, the “living room” was given its name because that’s where those who were still alive congregated before they went into the parlor to pay their respects to the deceased person.

 

We just forgot- death is not a medical experience- it's a human one. 

 

80%-90% of a positive end of life experience depends on two things:

 

1) Knowing the truth about end of life.

2) Planning ahead!!!

 

I learned that no matter who you are and where you live in the world, death is our common unifier in our humanity- and we can change the world with presence, compassion and education. 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

 

Topic #1 What is the Death Positive Movement

Topic #2 How by doing these 2 things makes a better end of life experience by 80%-90%.

Topic #3 Why Death is actually our greatest teacher about life.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

End of Life Level 1 Training for Family Caregivers Click here

 

Death Cafe Death Cafe

 

Free Family Caregiver Resource Center Click here

Learn More: Doulagivers Institute Click here

 

Please make sure to share this podcast with at least three of your friends! This is how we change the end of life- together.

 

xo Suzanne

Zimbabwe: The start of the Death Doula Movement

Date: 4/18/23

 

Zimbabwe: The start of the Death Doula Movement


I have been a hospice nurse since 2008, but it was on a volunteer trip to Zimbabwe, Africa, that I was taught the true power of our presence as the best medicine there is.

 

I was reminded that death is not a medical experience- it's a human one. 

 

And I was taught the effectiveness of having someone present and "holding the space" for someone who is dying- and for their loved ones- like a birthing doula.

 

 I learned that no matter who you are and where you live in the world, death is our common unifier in our humanity- and we can change the world with presence, compassion and education. 

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

 

Topic #1 How a Volunteer Trip to Zimbabwe, Sparked a Global Death Doula Movement

Topic #2 The Great Teachings From Those at Island Hospice

Topic #3 How We are a Global Community

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

End of Life "World Training Day" for Family Caregivers Click here

 

Island Hospice Zimbabwe Click Here

Free Family Caregiver Resource Center Click here

Learn More: Doulagivers InstituteClick here

 

Please make sure to share this podcast with at least three of your friends! This is how we change the end of life- together.

 

xo Suzanne

Caregiver Syndrome and How to Avoid it

Date: 4/13/23

Caregiver Syndrome and How to Avoid It

Brief summary of episode: Family caregivers are often faced with a unique set of challenges as they juggle the demands of work, family and caregiving. From managing complex medical tasks to navigating legal and financial issues, it can be difficult for caregivers to find balance in their lives while providing the best possible care for their loved ones. At the end of life, it is common for a family member (usually an adult daughter) to be suddenly thrown into a position where they are fully responsible for the care of their dying loved one. Although hospice services help tremendously with structuring a care plan and receiving the necessary equipment and medications to provide this care, the family is still responsible for the majority of hands-on care. Because the current system leaves most of the work to unpaid family members, it takes a toll on already stressed and grieving individuals and leads to Caregiver Syndrome - a silent epidemic that is taking place in our country and around the world as a direct result of an inadequate elder and end-of-life care system. We can, and we must do better.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

 

Topic #1 What is Caregiver Syndrome. 

Topic #2 Why it's Important to understand.

Topic #3 How you can Avoid it.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:
Caregiver Self Care Checklist Click here

End of Life "World Training Day" For Family Caregivers Click Here
Free Family Caregiver Resource Center Click here
Learn More: Doulagivers InstituteClick here

 

Please make sure to share this podcast with at least three of your friends! This is how we change the end of life- together.

 

xo Suzanne

Sound Healing for Health

SomaEnergetics is a series of Sound Therapy Techniques developed by David Hulse at the turn of the century using the power of the ancient frequencies of the solfeggio. We use the highest quality Solfeggio Tuning forks, which are custom-made for SomaEnergetics by a manufacturer who has over 4 decades of experience developing quality, custom tuning forks. We offer training in live workshops and via Self-Study Online Courses. Our Color Solfeggio Energy Tuners and Body Tuners are available exclusively from SomaEnergetics.

This wonderful quote from Dr. Horowitz and Dr. Puleo’s, book – Healing Codes for the Biological Apocalypse sums up the importance of this work: "Nature and Grace"—the physical and the spiritual—reflect each other and reveal "the great fact" that there is a secret tone scale—or set of sounds—that vibrates at the exact frequencies required to transform spirit to matter, or matter to spirit"

FREE UNIVERSAL LIFE MASTERY MASTERCLASS- Three Steps to Conscious Awakening

Register Here: https://my.demio.com/ref/HIjLO8sw1heZ...

We are on the brink of a personal and collective shift. The world is full of chaos, and we are untethered to our spiritual being part of who we are and why we are here.

In this free webinar, you will learn:

1) How this is the time in our humanity for the big shift to take place. We are being called to go from a world running on fear, power, and wealth to one of love and compassion.

2) How when we raise our individual consciousness, we raise the collective consciousness.

3) How new research in both Neuroscience and Quantum Physics is validating that we can take control of our mind, body, and life to awaken to our highest consciousness.

SAVE YOUR SPOT Here: https://my.demio.com/ref/HIjLO8sw1heZ...

To Learn More About SomaEnergetics CLICK HERE: https://somaenergetics.com/collection...

The VSED Journey- Can it bring people deep, deep peace

Can I Introduce you to Death Doula Network of BC?

I’m thrilled to introduce you to these two heart centered dynamic women.

Karen Hendrickson and Jo-Anne Haun are the founders of Death Doula Network of BC.

They are passionate about making and creating connections throughout the Death industry, communities, and the world.

I LOVE to support people who are doing amazing work and making the world a better place. Here are two of these women.

 

In this episode of Ask a Death Doula, You will hear:

-How Death Doula Network of BC was born

-The Blessings of COVID bringing global awareness to end of life

-How Doulas are an asset to patients, families and the medical team

 

We are a global family and Doulas are being used all over the world now to help provide the much needed end of life support to help create a positive end of life.

“With the right education, kindness and support, end of life can be the natural and sacred experience it was meant to be”~ Suzanne

 

Learn More about Death Doula  Network of BC Here: https://ddnbc.com

 

Take the next FREE Level 1 End of Life Doula Training Here: https://www.doulagivers.com

Forgiveness at the End of Life and Why You Should Not Wait

FORGIVENESS IS THE SECRET KEY TO UNLOCKING AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE!

Join the Free Forgiveness Workshop Here: https://my.demio.com/ref/SF9qKjumP2eHsSx0

 

Forgiveness is a continued, deliberate decision to release feelings of

resentment, anger, or shame toward a person, group - or even yourself.

Whether it’s a simple spat with your spouse or long-held resentment toward a family

member or friend, unresolved conflict can go deeper than you may realize—it may be affecting your physical health and holding you back from the life you truly want. 

Forgiveness will set you free and allow you to create the future exactly the way you want it to be.

In this webinar, you will learn:

1. What forgiveness is & why we must learn to forgive. 

2. The two main types of forgiveness.

 

3. What end of life patients say about forgiveness and its transformative power.

Working with those at the end of life has taught me EVERYTHING about life and about how to live fully. Sharing this information with you is my life’s purpose, and the greatest lesson that I could ever share with you is the transformative power of forgiveness.

If you register for this webinar, it means that you are at a place in your life where you are ready for change. It means you are ready to release things that have held you stuck in an emotional prison and that you are ready to reclaim the pure loving energy that you are so that you can find your purpose and live the extraordinary life you deserve!

Forgiveness is so important because we only get one chance to live this life and avoid the pain of regret.  

If you want to go further and learn how you can utilize forgiveness in your life, Join me for my Free Forgiveness Workshop on November 10th at 7pm ET!!

 

RESERVE YOUR SPOT HERE:https://my.demio.com/ref/SF9qKjumP2eHsSx0

Xoxoxo,
Suzanne B. O'Brien RN