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Palliative Matters
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Palliative Matters

Author: Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow

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Join Board Certified Palliative & Hospice Care physicians, Dr. John Mulder, Executive Director of Trillium Institute, and Dr. Jason Beckrow, Trillium Institute faculty, as they dive into the world of palliative care. Using real-life examples, they create an open dialogue to address issues of those with a serious illness and provide resources, tips, and tools for patients, their loved ones, and medical professionals to provide a higher quality end-of-life experience.

23 Episodes
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Psilocybin has had a place in healing for millennia, particularly among ancient civilizations and cultures. While it's had a negative view in some corners of contemporary American society, research into its potential has gained traction and it is slowly finding a place in the mainstream. In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow are joined by Prof. Michael DeWilde, who shares his knowledge of the history, uses, and benefits of psilocybin. This has prompted Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow to ask,...
Studies have shown that doctors are less likely to have surgery or be admitted to the ICU in the last six months of their life and are less likely to die in the hospital. So, what do doctors know that their patients don’t? In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow discuss some of the systematic failures of our healthcare system and the importance of informed consent. They ask and answer, “How can physicians advise patients based on their unique wants and wishes to give them a higher-quality...
The Gift of Time

The Gift of Time

2024-06-0329:56

Prognostication is not an exact science. So, when patients ask the inevitable question, “How much time do I have, doc?” How can we answer? In this episode, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow reflect on the challenge of prognostication and how they leverage their years of experience to try and provide patients with the gift of time.
In this episode, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow are joined by palliative care chaplain Cody Hufstedler. Cody has a podcast of his own, Dying to Tell You, where he interviews people nearing the end of life. With the doctors, he shares some of the joys, sorrows, and beauty he has uncovered while helping terminally ill patients and their loved ones work through some challenging realities. Listen to the episode, and be sure to check out Dying to Tell You at dttypodcast.com
For each diagnosis, there is an expected path that the disease will take. But along that path are many offshoots of possibilities, known and unknown. Amid the uncertainty, how can providers manage expectations and continue to build trust with their patients? In this episode, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow discuss how they operate in the realm of uncertainty when patients and their loved ones are often looking for finite answers.
When someone is given a life-altering diagnosis, change is inevitable. Disease can take away so much from a person: their identity, their power, their abilities. In this episode, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow discuss how they help patients regain some of their power and agency, with Dr. Mulder touching on his own experiences from when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness and the effect the journey had on him.
Most doctors understand that establishing trust is an important part of caring for their patients. But how does one go about doing so? In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow discuss how they work towards earning the trust of their patients, starting with making sure they feel seen and heard. Listen to learn more about how the doctors form symbiotic relationships with those in their care.
Helping patients and their loved ones make decisions is one of the greatest challenges of being a physician. But it’s also one of the greatest responsibilities. To kick off Season 3, Dr. John Mulder and Dr. Jason Beckrow discuss how they build trust with their patients through collaborative communication, education, and empowerment—centered on an understanding of their patient's values and belief systems.
When Music Heals

When Music Heals

2023-12-1140:22

How can music address the psychological, physiological, and sociological issues associated with life-limiting illnesses and the end-of-life? In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow are joined by renowned musical therapist Dr. Deforia Lane. She talks about the role that music can play in meeting the unique needs of each patient as it activates different parts of the brain to address mood, pain, and even communication.
In this special episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow are joined by Dan and Lisl Keuning, who share their personal experience with Dan’s frontal temporal dementia diagnosis. They discuss how the life-limiting illness has impacted their lives and how, after finding the right palliative care practitioner to work with, the Keuning family’s care and outlook have changed.
When people hear the word hospice, it often brings about fear and anxiety. But when the interdisciplinary services and benefits hospice provides are explained, the reaction is usually much different. In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow discuss the importance of patients understanding what their diagnosis means and learning about strategies and resources that they can engage with to help manage their illness.
As a society, we have a tendency to avoid talking about death and dying. But as palliative and hospice care providers, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow are exposed regularly to the end-of-life journey. In this episode, they discuss how, as doctors, they help patients come to terms and make peace with their medical circumstances. They also help listeners better understand the dying process and the physical, emotional, and spiritual components they often witness.
When someone enters palliative or hospice care, a whole new set of tools and resources become available, including bereavement care for their loved ones. In this episode, the doctors discuss how we all have a duty to be present for those who are grieving and how bereavement services help people move toward healing in their own way.
While palliative care can have a profound impact on patients, it can also be transformational for their family, friends, or others who they are close with. In this episode, the doctors discuss the unexpected blessings that come along with treating patients with the resources that palliative care provides—including the healing, closure, and meaningful connections that they have witnessed.
Advance care planning involves discussing and preparing for future decisions about medical care, and, as the doctors explain, it is all about patient autonomy. What does a patient value? How do they define their quality of life? Where do they draw the line? In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow dive into the importance of having these conversations with your loved ones as early as possible, acknowledging that wants and wishes can change over time based on a patient’s circumstance, age, ...
Healing vs. Curing

Healing vs. Curing

2023-03-2417:28

Can someone experience healing while not being cured of their disease? In this next episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow discuss the differences between being healed and being cured. In their experience, while someone may not be cured of their disease, they can experience healing in a variety of ways. They talk about cases that have taught them that they can’t always “fix” things and that managing and treating in meaningful ways doesn’t necessarily end with a cure.
A terminal prognosis forces people to face their mortality, which can lead to somepretty incredible events—core memories being made, long-broken relationships beingrepaired, final wishes being fulfilled. In this episode, the doctors share stories fromtheir careers that demonstrate some of the life-changing things people can experience under hospice care. Listen to witness yourself the healing power—emotionally, spiritually, or physically—that hospice can have.
With palliative care being a relatively new field of medicine, there are still many misconceptions about what this specialty provides. While it is often associated with end-of-life, it has become much more expansive. In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow discuss the purpose of palliative care and how treatment plans focus on a patient's goals ultimately empowering them to make choices based on what is important and sacred to them.
What do we learn from our patients that make us better people and better doctors? In this episode, the doctors discuss patient circumstances and what these experiences have taught them. From learning to look for the gifts and miracles in even the direst of situations to making human connections to meet patients where they are, the doctors share real-life experiences that have helped shape who they are as doctors and as people.
Defining Hope

Defining Hope

2022-07-2624:13

The idea of hope is often idealistic and romanticized. For those facing a life-limiting illness, the “hope” of being cured or life returning to the way it was before a diagnosis can be discouraging. In this episode, Dr. Mulder and Dr. Beckrow explain how they can help people redefine hope by setting clear expectations and realistic goals for patients and their families.
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