Hospice Is Not a Bad Word: Jodi Meiter on the Help Families Miss

From Walks with Mom · 24:53

Show by Kimberly

On this episode of Walks with Mom, Kim and Karren welcome Jodi Meiter, Outreach Chaplain at Ascension Hospice, for a conversation that moves from church pews to hospital rooms and back to the kitchen table. Jodi has spent almost 23 years alongside her husband, Pastor Bill Meiter of Arizona Community Church in Tempe, and now spends her days bringing spiritual and emotional support to seniors, caregivers and the communities that serve them.Jodi believes the church can be a first stop when a family is suddenly navigating a fall, a hospital stay or a rehab decision. Her advice is practical: know the trusted resources before you need them, ask the questions while everyone is healthy, and get the paperwork done early. Power of attorney, a living will and a mental health power of attorney are different documents, and having them in place means a family never has to guess what mom would have wanted. For families without the savings to pay for care, she points them toward Arizona's long term care program and the social workers who can help them apply. Her team even built a planning binder that gathers it all in one place, and Karren shares the "in case of" binder she keeps for her own family. As Kim puts it, preparation and planning is so much easier than crisis management.The conversation turns tender when Jodi names what so many moms feel but rarely say out loud: a mother never stops carrying her children's pain, even when those children are grown. Kim hears it fresh as a daughter, and Karren admits she still wants to fix whatever is stressing Kim out, even when there is nothing she can do. Jodi's picture of the sandwich generation lands with a laugh: "We're kind of like a panini. We're smashed in between our children and our parents."Then Jodi takes on the word too many families whisper: hospice. Far from a last resort for the final days, hospice is a Medicare covered benefit that can bring nurses, CNAs, social workers and chaplains alongside a family for months, often catching the small problems, a urinary tract infection, dehydration, a bad night of sleep, before they become another hospital run. Kim and Karren share their own story: Karren's husband was on hospice for well over six months, and having a nurse to call changed everything for both of them. As Jodi says, it is not a bad word at all.Karren names something she sees often in the seniors around her: the temptation to treat this season as something to endure rather than embrace. Jodi agrees, and says that is exactly why her team focuses on quality of life, making each day as peaceful, comfortable and enjoyable as it can be.The episode closes with news from Jodi: her new podcast, The Soul Friend, growing out of more than a decade of Soul Friend retreats, covering spiritual growth, marriage, family and every season of life. Because as this conversation makes clear, we were never meant to walk these years alone.About the guest: Jodi Meiter is the Outreach Chaplain at Ascension Hospice, where she provides emotional and spiritual support to seniors and their loved ones, leading Bible studies, grief support and caregiver groups in the communities Ascension serves. She earned her MA in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Talbot Seminary, holds a certification in biblical counseling, and has served at Arizona Community Church in Tempe since 2002, where she started MOPS and leads contemporary worship. She founded Soul Friend retreats in 2014 and is the host of The Soul Friend podcast. Jodi and her husband Bill are parents to three adult children, Amberly, Jonah and Benjamin.Connect with Jodi:[email protected] Hospice, Outreach Chaplainwww.ascensionhospice.comwww.az.churchIG @jodimeiterSubscribe to Walks with Mom for more honest conversations that help families prepare, plan, and navigate aging with clarity and connection.https://walkswithmompodcast.com/Come with us as we explore what it means to navigate these years with our aging loved ones.So grab a cup of coffee—or maybe a glass of wine—subscribe, invite your friends or family, and join us for Walks with Mom.https://youtube.com/@walkswithmomSpecial thanks to our Sponsor Amada Senior Care Phoenix and the East Valley serving families and seniors in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Mesa, and the surrounding East Valley area. Accredited VA Provider (NPI # 1558048199) and Trusted resource for Long-Term Care Insurance ClaimsCompassionate, personalized in-home senior care starts here – contact Amada Senior Care Phoenix and the East Valley today by phone at (480)999-5250 or visit us online to get started and give your loved one the support, dignity, and independence they deserve.www.amadaphoenix.com

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