End-of-Life University began in 2013 as a 5-day interview series on topics related to death and dying. It was a phenomenal event that attracted a much larger audience than expected and so EOLU became an ongoing series,
with interviews posted online twice each month. With the success of the interview series and the increasing interest in topics related to death and dying, this podcast was started in 2015 in hopes of reaching a broader audience and as a platform for spreading important information about how we look at all aspects of the end of life.
About EOLU Founder Dr. Karen Wyatt:
Dr. Karen Wyatt, bestselling author of the books The Tao of Death and 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying, spent most of her 25-year career in medicine caring for patients in challenging settings such as nursing homes, hospices, free clinics and homeless shelters. Her work with patients who were facing the end of life inspired her to write 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying, which describes the spiritual lessons she learned from her hospice patients.
Dr. Wyatt also hosts End-of-Life University, an online interview series that features conversations with experts who work in all aspects of end-of-life care. She is widely regarded as a thought-leader in the effort to transform the way we care for our dying in the U.S. In addition, she is valued for her application of spiritual principles to illness and healthcare and teaches that in order to live life fully we must each overcome our fear of death and embrace the difficulties that life brings us.
Learn more about her work at www.karenwyattmd.com.
Message from Dr. Wyatt:
“As a physician I have seen firsthand that our medical system currently fails to provide compassionate, reasonable care at the end-of-life. Doctors are not trained to address death and dying issues and question whether or not it is their “job” to manage the dying of patients when they are also expected to work tirelessly to help “save lives.”
Patients are ambivalent about these discussions too and may send mixed messages to their families and care providers because they have never before thought about their own dying process. Consequently, far too much of the healthcare dollar in the U.S. is spent on futile care that does not add to quality of life, but may well prolong suffering.
There is a desperate need for education in our society about all aspects of the end-of-life, from the importance of advance directives, to care options for the dying, funeral and burial alternatives, and grief and bereavement assistance for loved ones. The goal of End-of-Life University is to provide multiple access points for educational resources about death and dying that can reach all interested members of our society–from lay people to professionals, youth to elders–through interviews, articles, podcasts, videos, and teleseminars.
In addition, EOLU serves as an information hub where providers in one discipline of care can connect with other workers in their own field or learn about current practices in other areas of end-of-life care. The entire movement grows stronger when we can network and build bonds between us.”