The Last Chapter Beautifully Lived: Lessons From Hospice with Dr. Charles Vialotti, Medical Director, Villa Marie Claire
Today’s episode is so special. I sat down with Dr. Charlie Vialotti, Hospice Medical Director of Villa Marie Claire to have a very unique conversation about the transition from life to death and the role that Hospice care plays during that very emotional time. You will walk away from today’s podcast with a shift in perspective that beauty can exist at the end of life for both the patient and the families and that Hospice is not about dying and it is everything about living, quality of life, dignity, grace, connection, gratitude, forgiveness and love. And while it might be a chapter closing for those departing, it can also be an experience that breathes life into those still here.
Dr. Vialotti’s passion for Hospice care is his soul’s calling. As the only Resident Hospice Medical Director in the State of NJ, perhaps even nationally, Dr. Vialotti lives every day and night witnessing the unwinding of a soul and the magic of what takes place in, the in between. The in between being here and there. There being Heaven and where our loved ones meet us again. He is a Guardian of a soul’s last chapter and his perspective, wisdom and insights on life transitioning to death are a gift to all that will listen, even if not saying goodbye to someone.
In this deeply touching conversation, we explore:
* How would a family know to even consider Hospice care for their loved one? Is there a moment of transition in someone’s medical journey or a care taker’s journey where there is an opportunity to go about things differently?
* What is hospice really meant to provide beyond pain management.
* How Villa Marie is unique from other Hospice experiences and how they embrace the simple joys of life.
* What are the signs to look for that suggest someone is transitioning from life to death.
* The power of the sole. The soles of the feet are a life giving energy source of input from the earth and when someone is dying, they are the first area of the body to show life force is coming to a close.
* What do families often misunderstand about what the final days or hours look like?
* Many people fear missing the last breath, that final moment. Does the person dying feel that way too?
* How important is humor during emotionally heavy times in this process for the patient and the families?
* Do people tend to die differently when they feel emotionally or spiritually at
peace?
* What does it mean when someone clinically should have died based on the
medical signs but they are still hanging on?
* Are there common themes in what patients express about meaning of life,
forgiveness or love at the end?
* Does the process of dying have an intelligence or rhythm of its own?
* Do patients ever describe experiences, visions, dreams, or moments of clarity, that feel spiritual or unexplainable?
* Does Hospice pace you naturally to help bring you to a place of closure and peace before dying?
* Do people express regretting not taking their health more seriously earlier in life?
* What do patients most want their families to know or hear near the end of life?
* What are small things families can do that make a big difference in a loved one’s final days?
* What lessons from the dying do the living most need to hear?
And so much more! Tune in.
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For more information on Villa Marie Claire visit: www.villamarieclaire.org
