Combat Medic to Caregiver: Tony's Mission to Serve Veterans Through Hospice
Tony, a Vietnam combat medic, shares his profound journey from the battlefields of Southeast Asia to founding a military support program that has changed countless veteran lives. In this episode of Hospice Uncovered, Tony opens up about volunteering at BAMC, his transformative relationship with Eden Pearl—the most critically injured soldier in military history—and how that experience shaped his approach to veteran care at Warm Springs Rehab. He discusses the power of simply listening to veter...
6 Oct 2026
Breaking the Silence: Suicide Prevention, Warning Signs, and How to Save a Life
Hospice Uncovered tackles one of the most critical conversations in healthcare with guests Dr. Ivan Edwards, a physician and flight surgeon, and Dan Blasini, a nurse and veteran who lost three friends to suicide within eight days during Suicide Prevention Month. Together, they explore why discussing suicide remains taboo, the multiple causes of depression including trauma, neuroplasticity, genetics, and cortisol exposure, and practical strategies for recognizing warning signs and intervening....
29 Sept 2026
What If We Called Hospice Something Else? Reframing End-of-Life Care Through Language
Shanna and Rachel explore how the word "hospice" carries heavy emotional baggage and misconceptions that prevent families from embracing compassionate end-of-life care. Through honest conversation, they examine the negative imagery and fear associated with the term—and discuss alternative names like "life comfort care," "quality of life care," and "compassionate care" that better reflect what hospice actually provides. The hosts trace the word's origins to "home" and "hospitality," reframing ...
22 Sept 2026
Navigating Care Levels: When It's Time to Move Mom Out of the House
Rachel and Shanna welcome Kimmy, a healthcare veteran with years of experience in senior care, to break down the confusing world of care options for aging loved ones. When a patient's wife reaches out about moving her husband into assisted living, the conversation shifts to exploring personal care services, assisted living communities, memory care facilities, and the often-overlooked VA benefits available to veterans and their spouses. Kimmy shares real-world obstacles families face—including...
15 Sept 2026
After They're Gone: Understanding Grief and Bereavement in Hospice Care
In this episode of Hospice Uncovered, host Shanna is joined by Douglas, director of clinical services and chaplain, and Rachel, community liaison, to explore the profound journey of bereavement and grief that follows a loved one's passing. Douglas shares his expertise on how grief differs dramatically depending on whether a death was anticipated or sudden, drawing on personal experiences including the loss of his father to cancer and his beloved German Shepherd, Leonidas. The team discusses t...
1 Sept 2026
What Hospice Has Taught Me About Living: Intentionality Over Ambition
In this episode of Hospice Uncovered, the hosts explore one of hospice care's most profound lessons: how to truly live. Through candid conversations and patient stories, they discuss why intentionality matters more than productivity, why no one on their deathbed wishes they worked harder, and how society's messaging around hustle culture can rob us of meaningful moments with loved ones. The episode features powerful examples—from a farmer with dementia who lit up talking about his tractor, to...
25 Aug 2026
The Financial Burden of Dying: Planning Beyond the Grief
Shanna and Rachel explore one of life's most avoided conversations—the financial costs of death and end-of-life planning. Through a touching patient reunion story that culminated in coordinating cremation services, they discuss the practical realities families face when unprepared: cremation costs ($1,000-$1,500), burial expenses (up to $10,000+), funeral services, and the cascade of decisions that must be made under time pressure and emotional distress. The hosts break down essential questio...
18 Aug 2026
The Last Conversation: Love, Forgiveness, and Saying Goodbye in Hospice
The hosts reflect on hospice teamwork during tense end-of-life moments, including a recent patient death and a patient returning home from the hospital, emphasizing how their interdisciplinary team shows up with compassion and practical support. They discuss why there is “never a perfect death” or “perfect goodbye,” and how families can approach the final conversation with a loved one by expressing love, gratitude, forgiveness, and peace. They explore why people delay saying “I love you” or “...
11 Aug 2026
Hospice Uncovered: When Mom Says She’s Ready to Go
In this episode of Hospice Uncovered, Shanna and Rachel discuss what it means when a loved one says they’re “ready to go,” aiming to reduce fear and help families respond with love, presence, and open-ended questions like “Tell me more.” They distinguish “giving up” from “letting go,” describing letting go as an empowered, peaceful acceptance of life’s natural end rather than hopelessness or depression, while noting clinical teams can assess and treat depression when present. They share ways ...
4 Aug 2026
What to Expect in the Final Hours: Understanding Active Dying and Creating Peace
In this emotionally significant episode, hosts Shanna and Rachel dive deep into one of hospice care's most important conversations—what families can expect during a loved one's final hours. They discuss the physical and consciousness changes that occur during active dying, address common fears and guilt that family members experience, and provide practical guidance on how to create a peaceful, loving environment for both the patient and loved ones. From decreased consciousness and reduced foo...
28 Jul 2026
Faith, Grief, and Intentional Living with Douglas Jackson
In this episode of Hospice Uncovered, hosts Shanna and Rach welcome Douglas Jackson, the new Director of Spiritual Services, to discuss the intersection of faith and grief in hospice care. Douglas unpacks how grief extends far beyond death—it accompanies loss of health, identity, and dreams—and emphasizes that the only way through grief is to go through it. He shares deeply personal stories, including losing his fishing buddy father and the woman who cared for him as an infant, revealing how ...
21 Jul 2026
DNR Conversations: Choosing Peace Over Trauma
In this deeply honest episode, the hosts explore do-not-resuscitate orders and why DNR conversations are essential in hospice care. They address the common misconception that signing a DNR means giving up, explaining that it's actually choosing comfort and dignity over aggressive, traumatic interventions. Through personal stories—including a respiratory therapist's experience with CPR-induced rib fractures and the reality of anoxic brain events—they reveal what families really need to underst...
14 Jul 2026
Disease Progression & The Hard Conversations: When It's Time for Hospice
Rachel and Shanna dive deep into recognizing the subtle signs that a loved one may be ready for hospice care. They discuss concrete indicators of disease progression—altered mental status, increased hospitalizations, mobility decline, urinary tract infections, and loss of independence in activities of daily living—that families often miss or ignore. The hosts emphasize that these conversations must happen early and honestly, before a medical crisis forces rushed decisions. Through real patien...
1 Jul 2026
Just Because We Don’t Want to Face It: Hospice, Dementia, and the Courage to Have Hard Conversations
The hosts celebrate helping a longtime hospice patient whose wife and caregiver died suddenly, leaving him without ID, benefits access, or support and facing eviction, and discuss how earlier planning could have prevented the crisis. They introduce the theme “Just because we don’t want to face it doesn’t mean it’s not happening,” focusing on avoiding end-of-life and hospice conversations despite fear, guilt, and pain. They share early indicators of decline (difficulty with ADLs, unsafe cookin...
26 May 2026
Ask for Help: Reciprocity, Hospice Myths, and Courage at End of Life
Two hospice professionals open with a grounding breath exercise focused on purpose, then discuss why asking for help is difficult, highlighting embarrassment, ego, control, and fear, and emphasizing reciprocity so givers also learn to receive. They share formative mission-trip experiences showing that service and presence can be the gift. The conversation connects these themes to hospice caregiving, addressing guilt, family dynamics, misconceptions that hospice or morphine hasten death, and e...
26 May 2026
Hospice Myth-Busting: It’s Not Giving Up—It’s Support, Comfort, and Dignity
In this conversation, Shanna and Rachel myth-bust common fears about hospice, explaining that it isn’t “giving up” or stopping care, but adding support focused on comfort, dignity, and quality of life for both patients and families. They discuss why hospice scares people—fear of death, guilt, and unresolved relationships—and how honest conversations can reduce stress and improve family dynamics. They outline practical hospice services including RN and CNA visits, medication reconciliation, ho...
26 May 2026
Hospice Myth-Busting: Dignity, Support, and Hope at End of Life (Episode 2)
In episode two, Shanna and Rachel begin with a grounding exercise and gratitude, then discuss why the word “hospice” feels scary and why it shouldn’t. Shawna shares early negative experiences with hospice-related providers targeting vulnerable homeless individuals, later contrasting that with compassionate care she saw in nursing homes and the need for stronger partnerships and advocacy for patients without family. Rachel recalls learning hospice as a young respiratory therapist and the impor...
Contact Hospice Uncovered
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Hospice Uncovered?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
