Healthcare Whisperer Healthcare Whisperer

I am continuing my audio blog, moving away from my experiences with my journey with my mother to patient and healthcare stories.  It is my hope that these stories will be informative and instructive.  When you hear them, you may think, is she making this up.  No, they are real.

This show is two healthcare professionals talking about their expreinces of death and dying both professionally and personally.  Mary Elizabeth Parker,  PT,PhD, NCS, PCS, medical liaison for U.R. Our Hope, has dedicated her life to those with undiagnosed and rare illness. In her work, she has been a witness to the death and dying of children and been a compassionate comfort to their loved ones.  Her courage and committment to these families is truely inspirational.  She will share her experiences and insights about these intimate moments of the dying journey with families.

With all our combined experience with death and dying, nothing prepared either of us for the loss of our mother.  We will also discuss  how our professional work with death and dying was little help at such a personal loss.  We will talk about how it changed us and enhanced our ability to understand how death and dying impacts those left behind.

Don't miss this show!

Surviving death is about the days after all the details are done, memorials and estate issues, and the grief begins to take hold.  I am going to talk about what it is like to suddenly find yourself alone with your loss, the emptiness and the sadness.  A conversation as difficult in our society as dying.  How I learned and witnessed my own rawness and vulnerability.  A journey to understand how one survives the death of a loved one.

This is the continuing story of my mother's passing.  In this episode I will talk about what happens after the death, the details like dealing with planning two memorials, social security, finances, wills and final bills.  I don't think a person is prepared for what has to be dealt with.  I want to provide some insight as to what it is like during this time, staying focused and getting the job done when you are feeling sad and vulnerable.

This episode is about my experience of  my mother's final days.  How hospice care was critical, how the assisted living staff dealt with the process and the details after death.  It is a time of joy and sadness, grief and celebration.  It will be about the impact of the year of care giving and the road to recovery when all is said and done.  The information, I hope will help others deal with the process of caring for a loved one at the end of life.

This episode continues the journey of dealing with my mother's dying and the facility indifference.  I will be talking about my insights into being a caregiver.  I know many others have had similar experiences, the loneliness one can feel and how family and friend support make the difference.