The Journey Together
North West Hospice Charity
Navigate palliative care with the North West Hospice Charity. We bring you compassionate, practical conversations about palliative care. Whether you're a patient, caregiver, or simply seeking to understand more about the end-of-life journey, our series provides real stories, insights, and gentle guidance—one episode at a time.
- What palliative care means and how it helps - Emotional support and counselling for families - Legal and financial planning during illness
- Hospice care myths and facts - Personal stories from patients and volunteers - Practical advice for caregivers and loved ones
- What palliative care means and how it helps - Emotional support and counselling for families - Legal and financial planning during illness
- Hospice care myths and facts - Personal stories from patients and volunteers - Practical advice for caregivers and loved ones
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 18, 2025 • 51min
The Heart of Hospice: Stories with Volunteers
Cathy Quinlan, volunteer coordinator who trains and supports hospice volunteers; Kathleen McLoughlin, long‑time charity shop volunteer and fundraiser; Kevin Glancy, reception volunteer offering a warm welcome; Angela Reid, reflexologist and cancer survivor providing complementary therapy. They share stories about reflexology, reception work, retail fundraising, training, emotional support and how volunteers make practical, compassionate contributions.
Nov 11, 2025 • 45min
Understanding Funerals: What to Expect
David McGowan, a funeral director who opened a North West crematorium, shares decades of hands-on experience. He talks about what happens after death and the practical steps families face. He covers cremation versus burial, costs and choices. He also explores rituals, nature’s role in grief, and why planning ahead helps ease conflict and stress.
Nov 4, 2025 • 42min
Social Work Insights on Coping with Loss
Michelle O’Reilly, senior medical social worker supporting families and children through serious illness, and Kate Hawney, senior palliative social work practitioner specialising in bereavement and therapeutic counselling, discuss grief’s physical and emotional effects. They cover how grief differs by relationship and circumstance. Practical support, helping children, coping with anniversaries, and when to seek extra help are explored.
Oct 28, 2025 • 42min
Planning Ahead: Wills, Probate, and Peace of Mind
Jacqueline Dunne, solicitor and founder of Dunn Solicitors with 20 years in wills, probate and end-of-life planning, offers practical legal clarity. She discusses making wills, enduring power of attorney, probate processes, executor duties, costs and remote wills. Jacqueline also introduces The Journey organiser to keep legal and personal information accessible and reduce stress for families.
Oct 20, 2025 • 43min
Supporting Loved Ones at Life’s End
Breda Roche, a caregiver who supported several family members through hospice, shares lived experience and practical reflections. She discusses first hospice contact, pain management and syringe pumps. She contrasts hospital versus hospice approaches, explains coordinating care across locations, and highlights choice, small comforts and maintaining routines while saying goodbye.
Oct 13, 2025 • 47min
Beyond Resilience
Dr. Brian Pennie, neuroscientist and author of Bonus Time, shares his lived-experience recovery and research background. He discusses radical acceptance, emotional awareness in crisis, the garden metaphor for grief, caregiver boundaries and self-care. Short, clear conversations explore surrender, hope and practical ways to stay present through loss and change.
Oct 6, 2025 • 43min
Walking Beside You: Spiritual Care with Chaplains
Father John Carroll, a long‑serving priest who helped shape Northwest Hospice, offers steady pastoral presence. Colette Furlong, a lay chaplain working across hospital and hospice, brings inclusive listening and ritual. They discuss being present without agenda, reading subtle cues, family dynamics, meaningful rituals and empowering families to care and connect in life’s final moments.
Sep 29, 2025 • 42min
Finding Connection in Life and Loss
Tara Rafter, an award-winning life coach and master NLP practitioner, offers practical tools and gentle wisdom for navigating uncertainty, grief and the palliative care journey. She explores presence, micro-moments, small rituals, grounding practices, expressive tools like journaling, restoring autonomy through micro choices, communication logistics and building a support toolkit.
Sep 22, 2025 • 34min
Love, Loss and Hospice
Susan Atkinson, a mother and intellectual disability nurse from County Leitrim, shares her personal account of caring for her husband Owen through cancer and palliative care. She talks about first resisting then embracing hospice support. Short scenes include warm hospice care, flexible home support, preparing the children, and a meaningful final weekend together.
Sep 15, 2025 • 39min
Managing Finances in Difficult Times
Colm O’Flaherty, qualified financial advisor and CEO/co-founder of Neptune Financial with 21+ years’ experience, discusses supports and planning around serious illness, lost income and bereavement. He covers finding forgotten assets, income protection versus critical illness cover, state and charity supports, low-cost ways to cover funeral costs, wills and inheritance planning, and practical budgeting and saving steps.
