The Heart of Hospice Podcast Hosted by Helen Bauer, BSN RN CHPN

As a caregiver her entire adult life, Elizabeth Miller has learned how to find the joy in the caregiving life. As a Certified Caregiving Consultant, she helps other caregivers make the best of their own experience.  Elizabeth joined forces with her siblings to provide support for their parents, and for her developmentally delayed brother.  Each sibling brought his or her own skill set and strength to the care.  Elizabeth played the role of primary caregiver, sandwich caregiver (caring for parents and children simultaneously), and remote caregiver (providing support from a distance).  


After the death of her father, Elizabeth and her siblings moved their mom and brother Tom closer to where she lived.  She describes the impact of that caregiving as stressful, overwhelming, isolating.  It affected her mental and physical health in negative ways.   Elizabeth learned how to care for herself and set boundaries to maintain her health while she cared for the health of her family and her mom. 


If you’re needing support and guidance as a caregiver, Elizabeth Miller can help.  Her company, Happy Healthy Caregiver, can help you become happier and healthier. 


Connect with Elizabeth’s Certified Caregiving Consultant Services at happyhealthycaregiver.com


Check out the Happy Healthy Caregiver podcast for support and caregiving resources. 


Book Elizabeth Miller to speak at your next conference or event.


Connect with Happy Healthy Caregiver on social media:  Facebook   Twitter   Insta   LI   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 


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 helen@theheartofhospice.com.


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

Gail Rubin, The Doyenne of Death, has been talking about death and dying for years - and she’s still alive.  As an award-winning death speaker, Gail uses humor and film clips to educate the public about advance care planning, funeral pre-planning, and estate planning.  She’s a Certified Thanatologist and a featured speaker at TEDxABQ, where she spoke on “A Good Goodbye”. 


Gail is the author of four books on end-of-life, including A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don’t Plan to Die.  She also designed the Newly-Dead Game, a thought-provoking way to help start funeral planning conversations in a fun, non-threatening way.


You can connect with Gail Rubin at AGoodGoodbye.com.


Watch Gail’s TEDx ABQ talk on YouTube.


Want to watch people play the Newly-Dead Game? Click here.


Find out how you can host a Before I Die Festival in your hometown at beforeidiefestivals.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 


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 helen@theheartofhospice.com.


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

Jennifer O’Brien is sharing details of her caregiving journey, telling the story of her husband’s life-limiting illness and how she’s learned to make the most of Precious Time.  After working 35+ years as a practice management consultant to physicians, Jennifer supported her husband Bob up to and through the end of his life.  As a hospice and palliative care physician, Bob knew what to expect from his illness.  He and Jennifer experienced all the ups and downs of serious illness and caregiving for someone who’s dying.  The art journal she kept as a form of self-care during Bob’s 22-month illness was published as The Hospice Doctor's Widow: A Journal. The book has won several awards for both its content and design.


Jennifer shares her story, wisdom, and experience to help others understand the role of family caregivers and the importance of end-of-life preparations.  The concept of Precious Time is a way of communicating gently and respectfully that time is limited, and death is approaching.  She also sees it as a way for healthcare practitioners to avoid creating unrealistic hope in the minds of families, patients, and caregivers.


You can get a copy of Jennifer’s FREE Download Precious Time at https://www.hospicedrswidow.com/resources.  






Order your copy of The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: A Journal:


    Bookshop.org    Barnes & Noble   Amazon  


 


Jennifer’s website:  hospicedrswidow.com    Jennifer on social media:  Facebook   Insta  LI   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 


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 helen@theheartofhospice.com.

The story of the terminal illness and death of Kimberly Acquaviva’s wife Kathy is powerful, intense, real… and human. As a hospice social worker and LGBTQ+ community advocate, Kim knows what good end of life care looks like. During their experience with Kathy’s end stage cervical cancer, the women discovered that none of the hospice agencies where they lived had LGBTQ - inclusive non-discrimination statements. Both Kathy and Kim were determined not to settle for anything less than the best care. They made the decision not to use hospice.  


In this interview, Kimberly shares the details of their experience, including their communication style, how they connected with friends and family on social media, and the way they made decisions that affected their 19-year old son. Kimberly and Kathy shaped Kathy’s end of life experience in their own way. Quality of life for them meant autonomy, advocacy, and allowing their journey to create change in the hospice industry. They were teachers for the hospice industry, causing a ripple effect of change that expanded awareness of what inclusive care looks like.


Kimberly chronicled the story of Kathy’s illness and death in her book The Handbook of LGBTQIA-Inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care (October 2023).                                                  You can order your copy here.


Connect with Kimberly Acquaviva at kimberly-acquaviva.com 


Find Kimberly on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).


Order your copies of The Care Plan from Odonata here. It’s available in English and Spanish!


Check out the free video tutorials from Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  


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 helen@theheartofhospice.com.


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


Follow The Heart of Hospice: Facebook, IG Twitter (X) LinkedIn.

Senator Meg Cappel turned her experience as a caregiver for her terminally ill mother into advocacy and now works to promote hospice care in her home state. 


Meg believes a true legacy - one that lasts - is a legacy of kindness. Years of working as a special education teacher taught her the importance of seeing people and meeting them where they are. As a caregiver along with her siblings, Meg experienced all the nuances of caregiving for her mom. Her mom chose hospice care when her ovarian cancer grew beyond treatment. Meg advocated for her mother and ensured her wishes were carried out. 


As a state senator, Meg has promoted improvements for hospice care in her home state of Illinois. House Bill 1117 allowed hospice programs that own or operate separate hospice residences to serve up to 24 people per location, rather than the current 20 people per location cap. Additionally, the measure expanded the number of licensed hospice locations per county from five to 16. These changes allowed increased access to hospice care for seriously ill people across the state. 


Read more about Senator Meg Cappel’s work here. 


Order your copies of The Care Plan here. It’s available in English and Spanish!


Check out the free video tutorials from Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  


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 helen@theheartofhospice.com.


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


Follow The Heart of Hospice: Facebook, IG Twitter (X) LinkedIn. 










 

Supporting people who are grieving is fulfilling, joyful work. Just ask Help Texts founder Emma Payne. After having a personal loss, Emma realized how much we could improve how we support grievers. She’d spent years working in the tech space. That knowledge helped launch Help Texts. Their service provides grief support for events like pregnancy loss, pet loss, and death of a loved one.  


The needs of grievers came into sharp focus for Emma when she was asked to deliver a eulogy for a close friend, ten years after the loss of her husband by suicide. The funeral weekend brought her into contact with people who had failed to support Emma after the death of her husband. She realized how deep and complex the needs of grievers are and wanted to change how we support them.  


Help Texts gives subscribers the words and encouragement they need in those moments when grief hits the hardest. Services for individuals, employees, clients, and patients are easily available through texts. Organizations and businesses can provide Help Texts to give their members and clients grief support that’s accessible through text messages.  


HelpTexts also gives professionals and caregivers guidance about how to support clients and loved ones dealing with grief. Grief literacy doesn’t come easily to everyone. Help Texts can help. 


If you need grief support, check out Help Texts to see how they can support you.  


Get 10% off Help Texts by using the code theheartofhospice when you sign up. 


Find out more about Help Texts for your organization here.   


Connect with Help Texts on social media: IG Facebook Twitter (X) LinkedIn Vimeo TikTok


Order your copies of The Care Plan here. It’s available in English and Spanish!


Check out the free video tutorials from Nancy Heyerman and Brenda Kizzire here.  


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 helen@theheartofhospice.com.


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


Follow The Heart of Hospice: Facebook, IG Twitter (X) LinkedIn.