Ep. 337 The Hospice Doctor’s Widow: A Caregiver’s Journal with Jennifer O’Brien

02/07/22 • 56 min

Learn about a beautiful, artistic journal that explores the caregiver’s journey through dying and grief.

My guest this week is Jennifer O’Brien, author of the creative, gorgeous journal: The Hospice Doctor’s Widow. She discusses her journey as she cared for her husband who was a hospice and palliative care physician diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. We talk about grief and loss and caregiving in this intimate conversation. Learn more at her website:

www.hospicedrswidow.com

Get the book here

Listen here:

This episode includes:

Why this book is ideal for caregivers and people dealing with grief
How Jennifer created the art for the book
How Jennifer incorporated her husband’s wisdom into the book
What is “Precious Time” and how did that inform the way she and Bob spent his last days of life together
Navigating anticipatory grief for caregivers
Why the patient and the caregiver are going through two different processes
Why the survivors’ journey can be more difficult than the patient’s journey
What is the Triad of Certainty
Advice for caregivers
The At Peace Toolkit – A Guide to Being at Peace with End of Life

‘Precious Time’ is when you say what you need to say and don’t say what you will later regret.”

from The Hospice Doctor’s Widow by Jennifer O’Brien

Links mentioned in this episode:

A Year of Reading Dangerously – Register here
Get the At Peace Toolkit from Jennifer here
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new patrons G. Thackrey and Mary Susan Graham! Your contributions make all the difference.

Learn about a beautiful, artistic journal that explores the caregiver’s journey through dying and grief.

www.hospicedrswidow.com

Get the book here

Listen here:

This episode includes:

Why this book is ideal for caregivers and people dealing with grief
How Jennifer created the art for the book
How Jennifer incorporated her husband’s wisdom into the book
What is “Precious Time” and how did that inform the way she and Bob spent his last days of life together
Navigating anticipatory grief for caregivers
Why the patient and the caregiver are going through two different processes
Why the survivors’ journey can be more difficult than the patient’s journey
What is the Triad of Certainty
Advice for caregivers
The At Peace Toolkit – A Guide to Being at Peace with End of Life

‘Precious Time’ is when you say what you need to say and don’t say what you will later regret.”

from The Hospice Doctor’s Widow by Jennifer O’Brien

Links mentioned in this episode:

A Year of Reading Dangerously – Register here
Get the At Peace Toolkit from Jennifer here
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

Previous Episode

Ep. 336 Better Place Forests: Reimagining Cemeteries with Sandy Gibson

Learn why forests are the cemeteries of the future.

My guest Sandy Gibson is the co-founder and CEO of Better Place Forests, a sustainable alternative to traditional cemeteries for families who choose cremation. Sandy founded several companies and worked in finance and software before founding Better Place Forests. He shares how experiencing significant loss early in his life helped inspire him decide to reimagine cemeteries and make them good for the entire world. You’ll learn how you can find “your tree” and plan ahead for a sustainable, earth-friendly disposition after you die. Learn more about Better Place Forests at the website:

www.betterplaceforests.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

How the idea for Better Place Forests came about.
Why it is important to reimagine cemeteries right now.
How Better Place Forests are intended to be places for families and communities to come together.
How the service works for those “at need” or those choosing a tree in advance.
What a “spreading ceremony” consists of
The importance of rituals at the end of life
Where Better Place Forests are located and may expand in the future
How Better Place is planting trees to offset the carbon footprint of fire cremation
Advice for people experiencing loss and grief at this time

Links mentioned in this episode:

Better Place Forests Resources for planning ahead for the end of life
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new patrons Louise O’Brien and Daraleen C. Shales! Your contributions make all the difference.

Next Episode

Ep. 338 Ask Doctor Death: Tough Questions About Tough Topics with Terri Daniel and Karen Wyatt

Learn how Terri Daniel and I used our experiences with loss and grief to motivate the work we do today.

In this episode I’m featuring a conversation I had with the Rev. Dr. Terri Daniel on the Ask Doctor Death Podcast, of which I am an occasional co-host. Terri is the creator of the former Afterlife Awareness Conference and now the Conference on Death, Grief and Belief, which will be held July 2022 in Portland OR. We share a wide-ranging discussion that includes our own personal stories and our spiritual journeys, which have brought us where we are today. Learn more about Terri and the conference:

http://www.danieldirect.net

http://www.deathgriefandbelief.com

Download transcript here

Listen here:

This episode includes:

The grief experiences that brought each of us to do work focused on end-of-life issues
What it means to us to be spiritual but not religious
How we each have found meaning in suffering and grief (and why we wish everyone could)
How toxic theology can harm people at the end of life or during grief
What we disagree with about some contemporary advice given to those who are grieving (especially on social media)

Links mentioned in this episode:

Ask Doctor Death Podcast
Leave me a message by email: [email protected], Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new patrons Monica Kaniewska and Katharina Mack! Your contributions make all the difference.