Episode Details
Back to Episodes
A Palliative Doctor on Dying, End-of-Life Planning, and Living Well with David Casarett
Description
In this episode, a palliative care physician explains how early support and thoughtful end-of-life planning can reduce fear, ease suffering, and improve quality of life for patients and families.
Dr. David Casarett, chief of Palliative Care at Duke Health, describes palliative care as whole-person support that relieves symptoms and helps people make difficult medical decisions, even while receiving aggressive treatment. He contrasts this with hospice, which focuses on comfort for those expected to have six months or less to live.
00:17 Welcome to Seeing Death + Meet Dr. David Casarett
01:49 What Palliative Care Really Is (and What It Isn’t)
03:50 Palliative Care vs. Hospice: The Key Differences
04:39 How to Access Palliative Care Outside the Hospital
08:42 Misconceptions & Resistance: Why Palliative Care Gets Misread
10:38 Making Hard Choices: Ventilators, Odds, and Patient Goals
14:08 Age Isn’t the Whole Story: Function, Resilience, and Will to Live
16:15 Inside the Interdisciplinary Team: Social Work, Chaplaincy, Nursing & More
19:23 The Undiscovered Country: A Doctor’s Travel Guide to the End of Life
20:21 What People Fear About Dying (and What It Often Looks Like)
21:34 How Death Happens: The Body’s Timing, Physiology, and a Peaceful End
25:04 The Moment of Death: Quieter Than the Movies
25:57 What Comes After? Making Peace With the Unknown
26:34 Can People Sense Their Death? Monks, Intuition, and Timing
27:59 A Patient Who ‘Needed to Go Home’: The Botswana Story
31:43 Patterns Across Cultures: Visions and ‘People in the Room’
32:57 Terminal Delirium vs. End-of-Life Visions (and When to Treat)
35:47 Why Education Matters: Preparing Families for What’s Normal
36:36 Media Myths, Hospice Misconceptions, and Getting Support Sooner
41:45 Changing Care Earlier: Goals-of-Care Conversations + AI ‘Goal Coach’
45:23 Where to Find the Book + Final Thanks and Listener Support
Website: www.casarett.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/david-casarett
David’s TED Talk: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana
David’s TEDxTalk: Gods, Munchkins & The Science Of Reviving The Dead
Support the show financially by doing a paid monthly subscription. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2092749/support
Subscribe to Seeing Death Clearly and leave a 5-star review if you are enjoying the podcast.
Don’t forget to check out my free workbook Living a Better Life.
jill@endoflifeclarity.com
https://www.endoflifeclarity.com/end-of-life-planning to learn more about End of Life Care planning and schedule a free 30-minute call.
www.endoflifeclarity.com
Instagram
Facebook
Facebook group End of Life Clarity Circle
LinkedIn
TikTok