Susan Combs will tell you she had a great dad. Her caregiving experience at the end of his life inspired her to give back to the veteran community. Susan’s dad Major General Roger E. Combs was a huge influence on her life. Roger battled with throat cancer related to Agent Orange for ten years, eventually dealing with a feeding tube toward the end of his life. A simple act - his request to eat pancakes - launched a non-profit organization that supports military veterans.

Susan is the president of Combs and Company, based in New York City. Her movement Pancakes for Roger occurs every February. For every pancake-loving picture posted on social media post using the hashtag #PancakesForRoger, Combs & Company will make a donation to the University of Missouri School of Law Veterans Clinic which helps veterans and their families navigate the VA claims process and secure disability benefits when they are faced with obstacles along the way.

Here’s some advice Susan gives to other end of life caregivers:

• Do one thing every day for yourself
• Bring in your “crew”, those friends who can support you
• Have the advance care plan conversations, even though it’s difficult

Connect with Susan Combs and Pancakes for Roger:

Website: pancakesforroger.org

Book: Pancakes for Roger

Social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter (X) YouTube

Honor your veteran on their Wall of Honor:

Interested in purchasing a GrandPad to stay connected with a senior loved one?

Get more information at https://www.grandpad.net/thoh.

GrandPad website: https://www.grandpad.net/

Social Media for GrandPad

https://facebook.com/grandpad

https://instagram.com/grandpad_social/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/grandpad

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuFAJCb7_tTneM_ikABq08Q

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.

Connect with The Heart of Hospice Podcast and host Helen Bauer

Website: theheartofhospice.com

Email: helen@theheartofhospice.com

More podcast episodes: The Heart of Hospice Podcast

After a 40 year hospice career, Barbara Karnes knows a thing or two about end of life care. Today’s special episode is part 3 of our 4 part series in honor of National Family Caregivers Month and National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. Barbara calls her introduction to working with the dying “divine intervention” that occurred because of a random connection with a hospice worker. She spent five years working at the bedside, eventually moving into administrative positions and management. As a hospice educator, she supports family caregivers and end of life workers alike.

Highlights from Barbara’s interview include:

• A snapshot of Barbara’s advance care plan and why she thinks goodbyes are important
• Her recognition of how hard it was to balance work life and family life as a young mother
• How Barbara sees hospice work as a privilege

Connect with Barbara Karnes:

Website: bkbooks.com

Blog: bkbooks.com

Shop her products: bkbooks.com

Socials: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Pinterest YouTube

Email: barbara@bkbooks.com

Thank you to our series sponsor The Death Deck!

Connect with the End of Life Deck and the Death Deck:

Website: thedeathdeck.comhttps://thedeathdeck.com/

Shop: End of Life Deck Death Deck

Socials for the Death Deck: Facebook IG Twitter (X)

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.

Connect with The Heart of Hospice Podcast and host Helen Bauer

Website: theheartofhospice.com

Email: helen@theheartofhospice.com

More podcast episodes: The Heart of Hospice Podcast

In episode two of our special four part series, hospice icon Barbara Karnes shares what it was like working in hospice in the early days, before there was a model for working with the dying. Barbara has worked in end of life care for over 40 years, educating and supporting end of life workers and family caregivers alike. In this conversation, we talk about what hospice work was like early in her career.

Here are some highlights from this episode:

• Barbara shares how they cared for patients, learning how people die and the best ways to care for them.
• Barbara talks about how other disciplines came to be integrated into the care of patients, and how they learned to collaborate as an interdisciplinary team.
• We talk about the myths surrounding hospice that have persisted through the years, and still remain in people’s minds today.

Connect with Barbara Karnes:

Website: bkbooks.com

Blog: bkbooks.com

Shop her products: bkbooks.com

Socials: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Pinterest YouTube

Email: barbara@bkbooks.com

Thank you to our series sponsor The Death Deck!

Connect with the End of Life Deck and the Death Deck:

Website: thedeathdeck.comhttps://thedeathdeck.com/

Shop: End of Life Deck Death Deck

Socials for the Death Deck: Facebook IG Twitter (X)

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.

Connect with The Heart of Hospice Podcast and host Helen Bauer

Website: theheartofhospice.com

Email: helen@theheartofhospice.com

More podcast episodes: The Heart of Hospice Podcast

In honor of National Hospice and Palliative Care Month - and National Family Caregivers Month - we’re featuring a special 4-part series with special guest Barbara Karnes, Hospice Nurse and End of Life Educator. In the first episode of the series, Barbara shares how she got started in end of life care back before the Medicare hospice benefit was established in the 1980’s.

Here are some highlights of this special episode:

• Barbara thinks she should have been a social worker but her mother talked her into nursing.
• She and her fellow hospice nurses learned how to provide their own self care without really knowing what it was.
• Barbara’s aversion to causing patients any pain or suffering made patient care difficult for her.
• She believes it’s important for hospice leadership to truly understand end of life work, and to have a comprehensive knowledge of hospice care.
• Barbara believes sacred rituals and beautiful memories can be created at the time of death.

Connect with Barbara Karnes:

Website: bkbooks.com

Blog: bkbooks.com

Shop her products: bkbooks.com

Socials: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Twitter Pinterest YouTube

Email: barbara@bkbooks.com

Thank you to our series sponsor The Death Deck!

Connect with the End of Life Deck and the Death Deck:

Website: thedeathdeck.comhttps://thedeathdeck.com/

Shop: End of Life Deck Death Deck

Socials for the Death Deck: Facebook IG Twitter (X)

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.

Connect with The Heart of Hospice Podcast and host Helen Bauer

Website: theheartofhospice.com

Email: helen@theheartofhospice.com

More podcast episodes: The Heart of Hospice Podcast

Death educator Lee Warren believes preparing for death in advance makes a good death possible.

Over a period of two years, she experienced several deaths in her small community of 125 people, teaching her the best lessons about death as she cared for them.

Those deaths, and the generous people who experienced them, offered an incredible opportunity for Lee to reweave a more holistic approach to end-of-life than the one generally offered to us in the U.S. The outcome of stewarding those deaths together as a community, including after-death care, home funerals, and home burials, was life changing and heart opening for Lee. She has channeled the wisdom she learned into work as a Death Educator and End-of-Life Preparation Guide.

Connect with Death Educator and End-of-Life Preparation Guide Lee Warren

Website: queenofdeath.org/course reclaimingwisdom.com/about

Email: lee@reclaimingwisdom.com

Socials for Lee Warren: Facebook IG

Connect with the End of Life Deck and the Death Deck

Website: thedeathdeck.comhttps://thedeathdeck.com/

Shop: End of Life Deck Death Deck

Socials for the Death Deck: Facebook IG Twitter (X)

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.

Connect with The Heart of Hospice Podcast and host Helen Bauer

Website: theheartofhospice.com

Email: helen@theheartofhospice.com

More podcast episodes: The Heart of Hospice Podcast

Serious illness and caregiving can be isolating. GrandPad’s AI technology keeps seniors safely connected to loved ones. Isaac Lien and his dad Scott co-founded GrandPad to meet the needs they saw in Scott’s mom. Their new AI app Grandie offers audio interaction for the user without requiring a certain format, and even learns the user’s voice and way of speaking. Because GrandPad’s network is private and encrypted, users can share photos or videos and make video calls without worrying about robocalls or spam. No one can be part of a user’s network unless they’re been invited by the family administrator.

GrandPad makes a fantastic holiday gift for older adults, especially those living at a distance from family. Its features include:

• phone calls • video calls • video sharing • internet browning • 911 emergency use • 4G LTE data plan

Watch a webinar to hear more about GrandPad’s features here.

Interested in purchasing a GrandPad to stay connected with a senior loved one?

Get more information at https://www.grandpad.net/thoh.

GrandPad website: https://www.grandpad.net/

Social Media for GrandPad

https://facebook.com/grandpad

https://instagram.com/grandpad_social/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/grandpad

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuFAJCb7_tTneM_ikABq08Q

Hospice Navigation Services is here for you. If you have questions about hospice care or need to troubleshoot the care you’re already receiving, book a session with an expert Hospice Navigator at theheartofhospice.com.

Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to helen@theheartofhospice.com.

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)