Best Life Best Death

“Saying Goodbye: Preparing for Death" is the second film in the When You Die documentary trilogy -- 3 feature-length films about various aspects of the end of life. “Through stories from professionals who have spent their careers at the bedside, 'Saying Goodbye' opens the door to good conversation about what is possible as we pass from this life.” In this podcast episode, I talk with Director Johanna Lunn about this film and how it explore questions that many of us avoid: "What is a good death? Could we possibly heal old emotional wounds as death approaches? Where do we want to die? What quality of life is enough for you? What is a conscious death? Could we do it?”   For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

Dr Harvey Max Chochinov, Canadian psychiatrist and expert in issues around palliative care, chats with me about misperceptions, unconscious biases, and the effect on patient care. He notes, “These issues of bias aren’t just about palliative care – they are relevant to *anyone* who becomes a patient at some point in their life!”  I found Dr Chochinov’s insights and research intriguing, and you can look him up at dignityincare.ca or read his work here https://liebertpub.com/doi/epdf/10.1089/jpm.2022.0075 For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

A 4th generation Delaware funeral director, Todd Harra is one of the foremost experts on the history (and future) of burial rites in the United States. In his latest book, Last Rites: The Evolution of the American Funeral (coming August 2, 2022), Todd takes readers on a fascinating exploration of American funeral customs — where they came from, what they mean, and how they are still evolving. Listen in as Todd and I discuss the book, plenty of history, and some nitty gritty about what Americans are doing these days at the end of life. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

In this episode I talk with the author and artist who created "Headland," Kate Schneider. Her vision for this graphic novel was to portray an internal experience that none of us can know, in order to generate compassion for those with brain differences. How poignant that her own subsequent diagnosis and treatment for a brain tumor further opened her mind to the wonder of changes in the brain. She says, “There’s beauty and there’s terror and there’s all in between!”  For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

In this episode, I talk with Day Schildkret about his life, work, books and art. As Day says, “We need mechanisms in our daily, monthly, annual lives – and our personal and collective lives – that help us remember who and where we are. Life is crazy, and we can lose ourselves. Rituals help us to remember.” You may come away inspired to mark a change, take new notice of what you already do, or create something special for an occasion.   For more about Day visit morningaltars.com and dayschildkret.com. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

On this episode, I interview author Amy Bloom, whose husband Brian Ameche was told by doctors that he had Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by memory loss. Amy said in our interview: “After a weekend of processing and crying together, Brian said, ‘I’m not here for the long goodbye. You know how I am. I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees. And we're going to have to find a way for me to end my life while I still have the capacity to consent to ending my life.’ That was the beginning of the journey and the beginning of the book.”  Amy's New York Times best-selling book about their experience is called "In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss." It is a gorgeous, stunning read, and this is a not-to-be-missed conversation. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

Join me as I chat with George Frankel, CEO of Eternal Reefs, and find out how this organization combines the cremated remains of loved ones with an environmentally safe cement mixture to create artificial reef formations. These permanent memorials are placed on the ocean floor to create new marine habitats for fish and other forms of sea life. I think I know some ocean-lovers who might love this idea for a final resting place! For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

Jessica Wertz - ceramic artist + author of the Spirit Vessel Ceremony Guide Book - and I talk about road trips, small towns, ceremony, grief, and sacred time. The name of her work, Spirit Vessel, has three layers: the body as a vessel for the spirit; the vessel of each ceramic urn she makes that holds cremated remains; and the vessel of ceremony - capable of holding and transforming individuals and communities in their grief. Jessica says: “The idea of ceremony seems revolutionary now, but it’s actually the oldest idea – all of our ancestors came from societies that practiced ceremonies.” For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly is the founder and executive director of a day care program for people with dementia. We discuss a variety of things, including: how to cope with receiving a dementia diagnosis, why it matters what kind of dementia it is, how to find resources such as caregivers or respite programs, when to seek palliative care or hospice, and more. For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath

Mary Anne Oglesby-Sutherly talks about dementia -- the challenges of getting a diagnosis, the challenges of medication, and the challenges of day-to-day living with this impactful condition. Her respite care organization in Gallatin TN, The Veranda, offers a place for adults living with dementia to come for the day.  For more information on Best Life Best Death please visit our website at www.bestlifebestdeath.com Follow us on our social channels to receive pertinent and helpful resources on death, grieving, and more at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/bestlifebestdeath Instagram: www.instagram.com/bestlifebestdeath