Ep.77 Love and Compassion In Hospice and Palliative Care with Juli Boit

Dec 31 2023 • 37 mins

Ep.77

Love and Compassion In Hospice and Palliative Care with Juli Boit.

Hospice and palliative care involve more than just administering medical care. It's about listening intently to patients, understanding and honoring what matters most to them, and recognizing the inherent value in every individual, irrespective of the disease that may be claiming their life. Approaching patients with love, compassion, and genuine care isn’t just lovely but a fundamental aspect of providing dignified end-of-life care. The willingness to see the profound value in these moments and express it through our interactions is the cornerstone that defines the quality of the care provided. Learning to be present in patient care allows us to connect and provide care in deeply meaningful ways, which forms the bedrock of long-term commitment and enduring care.

Juli is an author, community builder, and nonprofit leader working at the intersection of faith, global health, and human dignity. For 18 years, Julie has lived and worked in Africa, founding and serving as international director of Living Room International, a community-led nonprofit providing hospice and palliative care services to adults and children living in Western Kenya. As a family nurse practitioner, Juli has combined her duo passions of health care and social justice into a unique expression of love that provides desperately needed services in an underserved community. Juli is the author of Brave Love: A Nurse's Story of Courage and Compassion in a Kenyan Hospice. Julie emerges as a beacon of hope and a testament to the spirit of love. Her compelling memoir invites readers to embark on an extraordinary journey through the heart and soul of hospice care in Kenya.

Tune in!

Key Highlights from the Episode;

[00:01] Episode intro and a quick bio of the guest, Juli Boit

[01:49] About Juli's background and how she ended up working in Kenya

[04:53] HIV and Hospice and how it drew Juli into Hospice Work

[07:33] When Juli became a nurse practitioner and went to Kenya

[08:16] The parameters of the hospital and the community Juli serves in Kenya

[10:54] HIV and the end-of-life symptoms in the Kenyan demographic

[14:57] How to affirm the value to the patients going through a disease process

[17:26] Juli’s non-profit organization and its vision in providing care

[19:56] Juli’s Funeral Home and the burial cultures of the people they serve

[23:50] The pain of loss and the death that affected Juli the most

[27:09] One thing Juli wants you to know about hospice and palliative care

[32:02] Hospitality and how it has been a great piece in Juli’s work in Kenya

[33:19] What Juli could have done differently in her journey

[35:23] About Juli’s book, Brave To Love

[37:02] How to reach out and connect with Julie

[37:30] Ending show and calls to action

Notable Quotes

No matter what disease process someone is dying from, they need to feel valued and to be approached, touched, loved, and cared for. [14:38]
The willingness to see the value of others in the care we provide, the interaction, and the way we listen is very important, and it doesn’t necessarily take a lot of time. [15:48]
Staying present in the care that we provide can help us be human and allow us to care in meaningful ways. [17:05]
Death is not failure, not when people have received the treatment they need, and there is the opportunity to listen and learn from the patient on the most important things to them. [27:38]
If we don’t stay connected to compassion and our humanity, it can make it hard to be in hospice for a long time. [29:04]