The Roots of Palliative Care: Michael Kearney, Sue Britton, and Justin Sanders
episode
GeriPal - A Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Podcast
48 min
3 speakers
7 chapters
transcribed 9 hours ago
Transcript
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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Who are the pioneering guests and why were they invited to discuss the roots of palliative care?
Hey, Jerry Pal listeners, before we begin the next podcast, we'd just like to thank all the new donors who've supported the Jerry Pal podcast, including
Anita Rayani, Kristi Newport, Kate Mesrich, Jen Hopping, Ashad Abid, Michael Borodovsky, Asher Edwards, Susan Nelson, Harry Han, Carol Heyman, Gretchen Schwarzzi, Sharon Brangman, Elizabeth Chung, and Paul Amatelli.
It costs us about $250 to run every podcast, so your support is very much thanked and needed. And on to the show. Welcome to the Jerry Powell Podcast. This is Eric Widera.
This is Alex Smith. And Alex, who do we have with us today? We are so honored to have such esteemed guests join us today, Eric. First, we have Michael Carney, who's a palliative and hospice doctor at the Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara and author of several books. His latest book is called Becoming Forest, A Story of Deep Belonging, and he's the founder of the Becoming Forest Project. Michael, welcome to the Jerry Powell Podcast. Thank you so much. And we're delighted to welcome Sue Britton, who was the first nurse in the very first palliative care unit in Quebec at the Royal Victoria Hospital in 1975. Sue currently works as a yoga teacher. Sue, welcome to the Jerry Powell podcast.
Thank you. Lovely to be here.
And we are delighted to welcome Justin Sanders, who proposed this podcast episode today. Justin is an old friend and a palliative care doc and researcher and is director of palliative care at McGill University in Quebec. Justin, welcome to Jerry Pal. Thank you so much. Delighted to be here.
And we're going to be talking about the roots of palliative care. And I think importantly, not just looking back, but what does that mean for our future as hospice and palliative care providers? But before we do, I think, Justin, you have a song request for Alex.
Absolutely. It's I Got a Name by Jim Croce. And Justin, I got to ask why'd you choose this song? Well, first of all, this song came out in 1973, which is the year that Balfour Mount went to St. Christopher's Hospice in London with the intention of learning from Cicely Saunders about hospice medicine, which became palliative care. And the other reason is because I think many of us are confronted constantly with questions about why we don't change the name of palliative care. And as I and others have suggested, I think it's more important to change how we think about palliative care than to change the name. So I think it's important to assert that we got a name.
And finally, my
parents love Jim Croce. And so this is a nice opportunity to hear a song that we love. Great.
Like the pine trees lining the winding road I've got a name I've got a name Like the singing bird and the croaking toad I've got a name, I've got a name And I carry it with me like my daddy did But I'm living the dream that he kept hid Moving me down the highway, rolling me down the highway, moving ahead so life won't pass me by.
Great song selection, Justin.
That's a fun one. Thank you, Justin.
Okay, Jess, I'm going to actually start off with you. We're going to have you be our co-host, but I got a question for you. Why did you think about this, the roots of palliative care? Why did you think it was important to do a Jerry Pal podcast on it?
Yeah, that's a great question. I have felt as I've come through this field over the last, I guess, 2003 is when I realized I wanted to be a palliative care doctor. So almost, well, I guess just over 20 years ago. And what I've come to see over time is that the clinicians that come into our field are less and less aware of where we come from. And what I think is so special about palliative care is that there's some really radical and important ideas that sort of under undergird our work and that provided a foundation for our work. And I think that's really different from some other fields in medicine. And and I think it's important that we remain connected to them because it's part of how we can be most efficacious, I think, and how we can do this work most sustainably.
And so that's why I was excited to sort of have an opportunity to visit with you and with these amazing people on the show, like this story of this field.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
Who are the pioneering guests and why were they invited to discuss the roots of palliative care?
0:00–6:31
2
What is the story behind the song “I Got a Name” and how does it relate to the early hospice movement?
6:31–12:22
3
How did the term “palliative” originate and why was it chosen over “hospice” in Quebec?
12:22–19:35
4
What are the radical ideas of “total pain” and healing that shaped early palliative care philosophy?
19:35–26:43
5
How did the concept of whole‑person care evolve from the original 12‑bed unit at the Royal Victoria Hospital?
26:43–36:08
6
What does “healing” mean in palliative medicine beyond symptom control, and how is it fostered?
36:08–43:27
7
What was the Brompton Cocktail, and how did early clinicians balance powerful drugs with compassionate care?
43:27–48:48
Speakers
3 identifiedMore from GeriPal - A Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Podcast
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