This week from the Wake the F*** Up podcast Alix sits down with Dr. Sonia Malhotra, director for the Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care Service at University Medical Center New Orleans. Sonia has been building palliative medicine programs in the New Orleans region since 2015. If you’re a regular podcast listener, you already know that here at Wake the F*** Up, we are big on talking about death and grief, unpacking these difficult subjects, and removing the stigma around them. So if you’re curious about palliative care or end-of-life care, this episode is for you! Alix and Sonia kick off the episode discussing palliative care and its role in managing symptoms and providing emotional support for patients with serious illnesses. It’s not just about the medical side of things, Sonia emphasizes the importance of living fully despite serious illness, and embracing mindfulness in approaching life's uncertainties. She shares some of her personal experiences with witnessing death and dying, highlighting the need for acceptance and gratitude in daily life.
You’ll also hear from Sonia about some other aspects of palliative care, including the importance of balancing medications and improving communication in the treatment of chronic illnesses. Throughout this episode you’ll get the sense of how a holistic approach to medicine is really important with end-of-life care, both for the patient, and their family. The transcript also touches on the difficulties of making decisions without clear timelines and the importance of mindfulness in facing bad news. Sonia tells us her goal is to really focus on bringing humanism to her medical practice, and promote more equitable access to healthcare resources. Additionally, she works to prioritize clinician well-being through wellness initiatives and supportive structures within the medical field.
Don’t miss the end of the episode as Alix and Sonia discuss mindfulness in everyday practices to promote well-being and regulate the nervous system. Sonia and Alix can both relate to the need to address emotional impact in healthcare settings and create space for grieving. We hope you’ll come away from this episode with a deeper sense of mindfulness and the value of living consciously in each moment of life.
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Resources from this episode:
Connect with Sonia on Facebook
Sonia's page at Tulane University School of Medicine
Connect with Sonia on LinkedIn
Sonia also leads two different grief meet-ups for caregivers:
Death Cafe informs and facilitates discussions and community focused on death and dying, and allowing clinicians and non-clinician to discuss their experiences personally and professionally.
Schwartz Rounds is a broader group to discuss psychosocial-emotional impact clinicians face as caregivers, especially in palliative care.
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