EPISODE 34- The Hospice Doctor’s Widow & Courageous Conversations of Precious Time

Show notes- Mourning Dove Medical Presents Dr. G at the Heart of Healthcare Guest: Jennifer A. O'Brien, MSOD - 35 years in healthcare - Author of award winning book “The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: A Journal” an art journal she kept as a form selfcare during her late husband's 22-month illness - Previous practice management consultant to physicians, served as CEO for two large medical practices, and held administrative positions in three academic medical centers - Authored 50+ articles in professional publications and peer reviewed journals Happy National Hospice and Palliative Care Month (HAPCM) Theme- Courageous Conversations: engaging in “meaningful dialogue on dying a good death” https://www.nhpco.org/nhpco-recognizes-national-hospice-and-palliative-care-month-2/ End Well 2023 “It’s About Time” Live Stream Replay 11/16/2023 https://youtu.be/MyzQyvWJGtc?si=cdsmEWOmqMgHU84K Imagine being in a room full of people who are sick and tired of the healthcare system not doing death well and they said I’m gonna do something about it and they did, they each did something HUGE. That’s what End Well was. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, wife of the 39th president and advocate for mental health, has died. She was 96. abcn.ws/3MQg8CG National Family Caregiver’s Month #NFCMonth Theme: Caregivers Connect #CaregiversConnect Caregiver Action Network CAN https://www.caregiveraction.org/national-family-caregivers-month Administration for Community Living https://acl.gov/news-and-events/events-and-observances/national-family-caregivers-month-2023 November is National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month https://www.alz.org/events/nadam (See Episode 19 https://anchor.fm/kaishauna-guidry-md/episodes/EPISODE-19--Alzheimers-disease-A-Husband-Navigates-the-Caregiver-Lifestyle-as-a-Nurse-e27orfr) In this podcast episode we will learn: Courageous Conversations help people use their Precious Time to End Well💜 Mission-Educate & Empower in three parts, helping listeners ‘SEE’ what’s needed to navigate the healthcare system. 1. Story (theme) Dr. G won Jen’s book at NHPCO ALC opening key note in Little Rock, Arkansas 10/01/2023 and was most struck by the job description (correlated with anxiety and fatigue of residency’s PGY-1 experience of in hospital on-call life) of family caregivers and their two identity transitions over 4.9 years (average): Life sustaining work to End-of-Life caregiver. Compassion & Empathy by healthcare professionals can save EOL care, perhaps motivate timely Courageous Conversations about dying a good death. Position Description of Family Caregiver: https://mailchi.mp/68c81a8b78db/family-caregiver-position 2. Educate -Teaching point Jen’s late husband would say “You are into PRECIOUS Time” which has a dual meaning for patients and family caregivers: “death is likely, if not imminent” AND “when you say what you need to say and don’t say the things you will later regret” “Precious Time Implementation Guide” is an excellent resource for healthcare professionals who want to be more effective in communicating the reality of the end-of-life situation to patients and their families. Get yours here: https://mailchi.mp/c24fe6fef197/precious-time-implementation-guide 3. Empower -A valuable a resource https://www.hospicedrswidow.com Website info https://mourningdovemedical.com VIDEO podcast https://youtu.be/1FUz9AVXFhw?si=LH6pisMlhBuTJ-Ky #hapc #EducateAndEmpower #PeaceOfMind #TheRealDealAboutHospice #PreciousTime #EndWell #HAPCM#CourageousConversations #NFCMonth #CaregiversConnect