A Dose of Grief
Podcast
Welcome to our podcast! Paris and Isabelle will co-host each episode, facilitating conversations about death and dying. We’ll be joined by doctors, and talk through the impacts of patient deaths upon them. Candid and personal discussions and stories will help us elaborate upon the multifaceted nature of death and dying, covering topics such as ethical dilemmas, cultural perspectives, palliative care, grief support, and advanced care planning. Our goal is to foster greater awareness, understanding, and compassion around these crucial issues in healthcare. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives and insights that will enrich your understanding of life's final journey.
A Dose of Grief Podcast, available now on Spotify.
01
Dr Mirsada Prasko
Welcome to A Dose of Grief Podcast! Today we speak with Dr Mirsada Prasko about her most impactful patient death, how and why this influenced her medical practice. We discuss the importance of support networks and allowing oneself the opportunity to adequately process uncomfortable emotions. Honest, frank and open conversations with patients and families in regards to death and dying was emphasised.
02
Dr Michael Poulton
Today we speak with Dr Michael Poulton about his experiences of death and dying in medical practice. Michael speaks about his most impactful patient death and navigating the aftermath of this event. We also examine aspects of communication during end of life care. How important are our language choices while talking to patients and families? How do we learn these skills?
03
Dr Cameron McLaren
In this episode we spoke with medical oncologist and palliative care physician, Dr Cameron McLaren. In this insightful discussion, Cam spoke about his experiences with terminally ill patients including in the context of Voluntary Assisted Dying. What does a good death mean? How can we support one another in these traumatic situations? How do we hold space for our patients and their families? Tune in for this important conversation.
04
Professor Sir Albert Aynsley Green
In this episode we interviewed Sir Al, speaking about the importance of putting 'compassion' back into 'compassionate care'. Al is a trained paediatric endocrinologist, and also holds numerous prestigious roles, such as the Visiting Professor in Compassionate Care at Northampton University. Al spoke about his own experiences with death, including the death of his father, and adored wife, Rosemary.
05
Dr Nicky Dobos
In this episode we interviewed Dr Nicky Dobos, an intensivist at Western Health. Nicky is passionate about culture, communication and compassion in medicine - especially in death and dying. Working in the ICU, Nicky sees many patients at the end of their lives. Today she talks about her most memorable deaths; the ones in which she can relate to the patients. She also touches on organ donation, something that is more commonly discussed in the ICU.
06
Dr Ranjana Srivastava
In this episode we interviewed Dr Ranjana Srivastava. Ranjana is a medical oncologist, award winning author and Fulbright scholar. She is a regular columnist for The Guardian, where she writes about the intersection between health and humanity. She is also an advocate for effective doctor-patient communication. In this episode, we hear Ranjana's experiences caring for, and communicating with patients at the end of their lives. We discuss the role of palliative care and the importance of maintaining humour and humanity until the end.