Storytelling is fundamental to human culture. While working in palliative care, Leeroy William (Palliative Medicine Specialist) and Jo Wood (Clinical Social Worker) recognized the importance of connecting with people in their most vulnerable moments. Narratives of Connection (NOC) shares stories that speak to our perceptions of life, promoting connection, healing, safety, and growth. Join Leeroy as he engages in conversation with guests reflecting on their stories and what matters most to them. Tune in for inspiring stories of connection and resilience.
Join Leeroy as he sits down with Catalina, an end-of-life doula living in Australia. Catalina shares her experiences accompanying death processes throughout Latin America over the past eight years.
Tune in to hear how, amidst the challenges of the pandemic, Catalina not only built strong networks but also designed and co-created online products and memorial services for families. Learn about her mission to advocate for the improvement of death services for the 281 million migrants in our globalized world.
As the co-founder of the Ibero-American Network for Accompaniment in Death and Grief, Catalina strives to connect people with end-of-life professionals across cultures and nations. This episode offers a compelling insight into the intersection of cultures, compassion, and advocacy in end-of-life care.
Tune in for a reflective conversation that explores the heart of compassionate care across diverse communities.
Show notes:
You can connect with Catalina via her Instagram page.
https://www.instagram.com/doula_de_fin_de_vida/
Dive into a thought-provoking conversation in this episode as Leeroy chats with Ria Earp (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue - Te Arawa Waka). Ria brings a wealth of experience, having retired from her position as Chief Executive of Mary Potter Hospice, Wellington, in 2017.
Ria's professional journey encompasses a distinguished career in the Public Service of Aotearoa, where she began as a Social Worker. She served as a policy advisor and manager of social programs, culminating in her role as Deputy Director General – Māori Health for the NZ Ministry of Health until 2006. Post-retirement, Ria continues to contribute significantly, delving into governance roles and providing Māori health and social services advice, which also incorporates hospice and palliative care.
Tune in to gain insights into Ria's impactful career and her invaluable perspectives on healthcare, advocacy, and navigating the complexity of the healthcare system.
Show notes:
You can learn more about Ria Earp's work on her website.
https://riaconsulting.co.nz (http://riaconsulting.co.nz/)
27 Oct 2023
S1 E6: Mary Schumacher - Resilience & Unity
Join Leeroy in this episode as he chats with Mary Schumacher, an experienced Chief Executive with a Masters in Social Work with over 30 years of dedicated service in Aged Care, Hospice, and Community Services. Listen as Mary shares her insights and experiences, all while embracing her roles as a mother and grandmother who cherishes her time with her whanau.
5 Oct 2023
S1 E5: Atima Joshi - Travelling Pencils
Atima Joshi wears a number of hats, including that of a mother, daughter, senior principal, life coach, cultural ambassador, mindfulness and yoga teacher.
In her pursuit of knowledge for wellness and growth, Atima has been delving into well-being practices from different parts of the world and embedding them into her personal and professional spheres.
A passionate educator, Atima believes in harnessing the power of presence and connection to help nurture young minds and empower them to take charge of their well-being and success. As a leader, Atima firmly believes that organisational wellness and efficacy are directly related to the wellness of its leaders. This should not be assumed but explicitly woven into organisational culture and community.
Her passion for supporting individuals and organisations in their growth journeys fuels her, and she hopes to inspire more people to embrace and become advocates for holistic wellness.
27 Aug 2023
S1 E4: Karly Edgar - Everyone has a story
In this episode, Leeroy chats with Karly Edgar, a Latrobe University PhD candidate who is researching the Biography Program at Eastern Palliative Care in Melbourne, Australia. Karly shares her insights on using a narrative approach in healthcare research, creativity and the importance of storytelling.
Karly also co-hosts a podcast with Krystal Wallis, the Volunteer Services Consultant at Eastern Palliative Care. You can find links to Karly & Krystal's podcast below, as well as information about the Eastern Palliative Care Biography Program.
https://onceuponastorypodcast.podbean.com
https://www.epc.asn.au/biography
12 Apr 2023
S1 E3: Ian Gwynne-Robson - The Change is Gonna Come
In this episode, Leeroy chats with Dr Ian Gwynne-Robson, a Palliative Medicine Specialist at Te Omanga Hospice, Lower Hutt, New Zealand. Ian has worked at the Hospice since 2008 and has been the Medical Director since 2012.
Ian was born in Canada and studied Medicine at the University of Toronto, did Family Medicine training at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, then worked in private practice of Family Medicine in Guelph, Ontario, Canada for 10 years before immigrating to New Zealand in 2003. He completed Palliative Medicine Specialist training in the Wellington region.
In this episode, Ian shares insights from his career, including his experiences working in palliative care and the transformative power of music. He also discusses the role of Maori culture in palliative care and how it has influenced his work.
Links mentioned in this episode:
The Ain’t No Mountain High Enough scene in Standing in the Shadows of Motown: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pynm-qfhhIA
The 2010 Hospices Concert, Brannigan Kaa performs ‘Lonesome Valley’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDdzKaremmU
Combat Room in Wellington: http://combatroom.co.nz/
Valley BJJ in Lower Hutt: https://www.facebook.com/huttvalleybrazillianjiujitsu/
22 Mar 2023
S1 E2: The Power of Stories - Mark Silver
In this episode, Leeroy chats with Mark Silver, a social worker and Co-Coordinator of the Swinburne University Wellbeing Clinic. In 2021 Mark received the Inaugural Australian Social Worker of the Year Award.
Mark has been a social worker for over 40 years in the areas of aged care and disability. He has a keen interest in Narrative, Reminiscence, and Story approaches in his work. He has been working at Swinburne University coordinating a Wellbeing Clinic for older adults for the past ten years and advocates strongly for a greater presence of mental health professionals, especially social workers, within aged care settings.
Mark has recognised the importance of intergenerational programs that foster better relationships, communication and understanding between generations, breaking down stereotypes and building relationships that add meaning and purpose to the young and old alike. He is also interested in building bridges between the artistic and therapeutic worlds. Both are involved in emotional wellbeing, with healing and the transformation of lives at the centre. However, they work in separate professional and cultural spaces and often lack a common language and framework.
5 Mar 2023
S1 E1: Rod MacLeod - Can we teach people to care?
In conversation with Professor Rod MacLeod, we unpack the importance of connection and stories to care for people at the end of life.
Bio for Rod MacLeod MNZM, MB ChB, MMedEd, PhD, FRCGP, FAChPM (June 2022):
Professor Rod MacLeod retired from clinical practice in 2019 having been a doctor for 45 years and worked in specialist palliative care for over 30 years in England, New Zealand and Australia.
In 2003, he was appointed the inaugural South Link Health Professor in Palliative Care at the University of Otago, Dunedin School of Medicine and in 2013 was appointed Conjoint Professor in Palliative Care at the University of Sydney. He left there in 2019 and is now Honorary Professor at the University of Auckland, Chair of the Clinical Committee of The Violet Initiative as well as a consultant to HammondCare in Sydney.
He has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles in the area of palliative care in national and international journals and has written over 20 book chapters for palliative care texts. He is co-Editor in Chief of the Textbook of Palliative Care published by Springer in 2019.
He is one of the authors of The Palliative Care Handbook which has become a freely available standard text for health care professionals in New Zealand and more recently New South Wales.
He was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queen’s birthday honours in 2015.
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