Mike's journey to become a hospice nurse came later in life. While he calls himself a "talker", Mike also takes the time to listen to his patients and their families and loves to hear their stories. He shares about the impact of COVID-19 on grieving, discusses the ways loss can be cummulative and explains the value of being authenitic with individuals at end of life.
As a hospice nurse and now a clinical manager, Monica understands first-hand the importance of finding space to create joy at the end of life. She shares her own journey with her most profound loss, describes her definition of a "good death", shares about the challenges with COVID-19, and explains how hospice is more than just caring for a person who is dying.
Trained as a mental health professional, Charles didn't grow up knowing he wanted to work in hospice care. But having a limited amount of personal loss has enabled him to have a unique perspective on dying and an ability to meet people where they are.
With a background as a respiratory therapist, Perry came to his leadership role as Director of Strategic Partnerships in an interesting way. He shares his professional and personal journey with hospice, loss, and explains what it means to have a "good death".
As a hospice nurse for over 25 years, Karen has experienced a great deal of death. But she doesn't find that sad. "When I'm with somebody that is dying, it is a complete honor. And I feel like it's the same thing as when labor and delivery nurses are with a birth. To be there at that time is just incredible." She shares stories about being there at the end of life and what lessons that has taught her.
As a chaplain, Stewart is very comfortable being with individuals during challenging times. He credits his mother with how he grew up understanding death, loss, and grief. Stewart shares how his own personal struggles inspired his journey to become a hospice chaplain. He talks about the role of a chaplain, shares his definition of spirituality, and discusses the power of meeting people where they are.
With over 20 years at Hospice of the Chesapeake, Avis has seen it all. She has held multiple roles at the organization and is passionate about helping individuals with life-limiting health conditions understand the benefits of supportive care and hospice. Avis shares how she started working for the nonprofit and how her own journey with grief and loss inspires her work.
In the second season of Grief from the Other Side, we share conversations about loss and purpose with Avis, Stewart and Karen, members of the Hospice of the Chesapeake Clinical Team. This preview features Amy Stapleton, Manager for Bereavement Services, and Tammy Turner, Community Education Manager, discussing the next series of interviews. You'll get an introduction about the work each team member does and a bit of background on how they approach their roles. Each episode of the new season will include their own personal stories of loss, why they are working in hospice care, and how they continue to work in an environment that deals daily with death, loss, and grief.
Paris was just 16 years old when her mom died suddenly. In that moment, her life was never the same. She and her sister had to move in with her godparents and start a new school, all while navigating the trauma of their mom's unexpected death. Paris shares her story of loss and how family, friends, and music have helped her. She also shares what wasn't as helpful and how she is continuing to move forward.
Erica is a mom, a nationally certified school psychologist, and an aunt. In this episode, Erica shares her journey of losing her nephew Hunter to overdose. As a mental health professional who works with young adults, she was very involved in trying to help Hunter with his substance use disorder. Erica openly shares about her grief process and what she did as a parent, a professional, and family member to find hope when hope seemed lost.
Erica shares that several books were helpful in talking with her young daughter about loss. These included: "Invisible String", "The Goodbye Book" by Todd Parr, "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf", and "Chester Racoon and the Acorn Full of Memories".
Parker doesn't set out to make grief pretty. You'll hear in her story, she doesn't really mince words. It's a raw grief that she shares. And she has been able to transform that in a way that leads her to be a fierce advocate for mental health access for young adults. We're going to hear about a nonprofit that she helped found, and the public awareness campaign she brought in our community that has made a difference. We are really excited for you all to meet Parker.
Content advisory: This episode contains a detailed discussion about death by suicide and may not be suitable for children. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.
Other resources that can help include:
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: https://afsp.org/
American Association for Suicidology: https://suicidology.org/
Alliance of Hope (for suicide loss survivors): https://allianceofhope.org/
Co-hosts Amy Stapleton, Manager of Bereavement Services for Chesapeake Life Center and Tammy Turner, Community Education Manager for Hospice of the Chesapeake talk about the new podcast Grief from the Other Side: Stories of Hope and Resilience. Amy and Tammy discuss why it's important to explore individuals' grief stories and give a glimpse into some of the inspirational experiences that will be shared during this first season.
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