Holidays are often difficult for anyone who has experienced or is facing the death of someone they love. Instead of being a time of tradition, family togetherness, sharing and giving thanks for blessings, this time of year can bring feelings of sadness, loss and emptiness. What do we do when we are feeling pressure to engage in the "holiday spirit", but we are triggered by memories of earlier times with a loved one who is now facing a terminal diagnosis? While no simple gu...

In this three part series, Mitch discusses the experience and emotions associated with being told that a disease is no longer treatable from different perspectives. In part one of this series, we look at how this news impacts the patient and the fear associated with such a prognosis. Mitch provides suggestions and love on how to address this fear, as well as to how to help other loved ones during this time.

Diverging a bit from the Hospice theme, in episode 44, Mitch explores another form of end-of-life care and the role of a "Death Doula". He explains the origins of a doula role in relationship to the dying process, and the recent resurgence of this in modern end-of-life care.

At sometime in our lives, we will all have a traumatic experience that causes us to have a strong emotional or physical reaction. On most occasions though, these reactions subside as a part of the body’s natural healing and recovery process, but in the moment, they seem overwhelming. In this edition of Living With Hospice, Mitch discusses what happens in those few moments after trauma has occurred, and reminds us that sometimes something very simple - breathing - is the key to get...

Talking about the eventuality of death is not something anyone likes to do - much less plan for. In addition to bringing up a whole host of emotions, it can be just an incredibly uncomfortable conversation to have with someone who is terminally ill. In this episode of Living With Hospice, Mitch discusses why these conversations are necessary to have before death and how to ensure that they are productive.

Originally published in 2020, LWH's classic episode on how to handle the Holidays is once again returning for the season! Holidays are often difficult for anyone who has experienced or is facing the death of someone they love. Instead of being a time of tradition, family togetherness, sharing and giving thanks for blessings, this time of year can bring feelings of sadness, loss and emptiness. What do we do when we are feeling pressure to engage in the "holiday spirit", but ...

We've all experienced the need to make a change at some point in our lives and understand that it can bring about a host of emotions and some fear of the unknown. While at times, this can be something exciting, when on an end of life journey, this can seem difficult, overwhelming and just plain impossible. In this episode, Mitch discusses how to take control of your Hospice journey and have the courage to make it better if something is not suited to you. As the famous ...

In this episode of Living With Hospice, Mitch makes good on a promise made during most of the episodes to answer questions that listeners have submitted over time. In this episode, we discuss active dying, telling our loved ones that we are out of treatment options, accepting the choice when someone chooses Hospice over curative care and finally, we get an update on Mitch's animal co-hosts.

In this episode of Living With Hospice, Mitch addresses the many facets of 'closing the books' at the end of our lives, including practical planning, reviewing the bucket list and the often uncomfortable topic of saying goodbye. While this can be an emotionally difficult period, it can also be empowering and is crucial in gaining closure and gathering a sense of peace.

Why do some Hospice patients not make it to their life expectancy while others outlive their diagnosis? How come some patients seem to actually get better once they begin receiving Hospice care? In this short episode, Mitch discusses the factors used in determining the life - expectancy of a terminally ill patient, as well as the factors that are not considered, and explains how palliative Hospice care can actually increase someone's longevity.

Grief is a long process to endure when you lose someone you love. In Living With Hospice's fourth grief-centric episode, Mitch addresses the topic of grief triggers and how they can bring up that pain of loss and other emotions, sometimes even years later. While some may be very obvious and predictable, like anniversaries and such, others can hit you out of left field and leave you feeling sad all over again. Mitch provides strategies on what to do when this happens an...

Mitch sends his sincere gratitude to listeners and readers as Living With Hospice surpasses 5000 podcast downloads! Truly blessed to be able to continue bringing this message of strength, hope and experience, Mitch shares his expectations from when we first started the podcast and some appreciation, support and encouragement we've received from our subscribers.

Have you heard stories about people that are on their deathbed but seem to linger on, as if they're waiting for something or someone before they crossover? Whether they are worried about family, money, finances or just fearful of leaving this earth, it is sometimes a struggle for our loved ones to be at peace with leaving this world. In this episode, Mitch shares his experiences with this end of life situation and provides guidance on how we can prepare ourselves to help our loved ones ...

When someone is feeling a call to volunteer, hospice organizations are not typically on the top of many lists because people are uncomfortable being exposed to death and dying. In this episode, Mitch offers a very different perspective of why people volunteer for hospice and how being there for people on an end of life journey can be a very rewarding blessing. Also - Mitch tells us the several different ways you can volunteer and give back through a hospice org...

Death is something that we all, sooner or later, have to face - especially when we or a loved one are on an end of life journey. To some extent, we are all scared of death – whether it be the thought of our own death or the fear that someone we love might pass away. But how do we respond to this fear of the inevitable? Why are some of us more afraid than others? And what is it, exactly, that scares us about death? In this episode, Mitch discusses the anxiety we have related...

As the New Year begins, people are often filled with renewed energy and hope. It's a time of new resolutions, new promise, new adventures, and boundless opportunities. However, when you're on an end of life journey with someone, the world around you never quite feels like that. In this episode, Mitch discusses how to manage when you are in a world that doesn't change, or seem to move forward, with the rest of the world. Mitch provides insight on how to handle holidays and sp...

The last few episodes have explored the grief process as it is a common feeling before, during and after we lose our loved one. In this episode, Mitch discusses another common emotion that happens after our loved one has passed - guilt. It's normal to ask ourselves, "Could I have done more?" and "Did I do enough?" but it's also very easy to get bogged down in our guilt and the 'What ifs'. Mitch shares his own experiences about this process and provides information on h...

Revisiting this complex topic for a third time, Mitch Ware takes a deeper look into the seven stages of grief and explores how we cycle through them. From shock and denial to rebuilding and acceptance, the journey through these phases can be exceptionally difficult to experience. Relating his personal experiences, Mitch offers insight into how to manage our lives while going through this process.

Every once in while, we discover that a dear friend or family member is cast into the role of being a caregiver for someone who is in an end of life situation. The first thing we think is how can I help? In this episode, Mitch Ware explains the importance of helping out our caregiver friends, and offers several ways to do so tactfully.