As we approach the 40th anniversary of the Medicare hospice benefit, we stand at an important reflection point to evaluate end-of-life care and map its future. In this new series, we gather leaders and thinkers from a range of disciplines to explore our needs at the end of life, how they have changed over time and how care models need to adapt. We will consider our societal relationship to mortality and what impact the growth of Hospice & Palliative Care has had on how we meet the challenges of death and loss. Our guests will share their perspectives on the policy, legislative and healthcare delivery changes needed to enhance how we care for those with life-limiting conditions and ensure wellness at all stages of life. We hope you enjoy these insightful conversations and that they inspire positive change in how we care for one another at the end of life.
Join Meg Pekarske in this deep and meaningful conversation with Dr. Janet Bull as we explore how best to relieve suffering at the end of life and her reflections on what death has to teach us about living. Janet’s perspective is profoundly unique and is informed by being a witness to both the beginning of life – as an obstetrician-gynecologist – and toward the end of life as a hospice physician and Chief Medical Officer of Four Seasons, a nationally recognized leader in caring for those with serious illness. Janet has devoted the second half of her medical career to end-of-life care. She is a long-time leader in Hospice & Palliative Care, serving as past President of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and conducting significant research on the role and impact of palliative care in our healthcare system. In this episode, Janet shares what her life’s work has taught her on how we care for the dying, how it has evolved over time and what remain our greatest hurdles to ensuring good deaths. We explore what influence the growth and acceptance of hospice care has had on our societal relationship to mortality and where we have yet to go to ensure quality end-of-life care. We hope you enjoy this expansive conversation and that it enriches your thinking about how we can better serve those experiencing death and loss.