It’s Easter at my aunt’s house. It’s Greek Orthodox Easter, which complicates things even more. We have a very tentative cease-fire in place regarding talking politics. What’s left to discuss?
If you’re in my family, death.
Wills, who gets what, what happens to certain things (for the folks trying to maintain control even after they’re gone). I’m taken aside and told, at length, about why each plan is the best, and how everyone else is doing it wrong. I quickly Google “trustee responsibilities seriously what do I have to do.”
The perfect appetizer for a talk with Kristine Murtz of Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care.
As much as I avoid thinking about what these transitions mean for myself and my family members, this was a much easier conversation than I thought it would be. Chalk that up to the patience, charm and empathy of Kristine, who not only manages the 1,000+ volunteers that Cornerstone has, she somehow has the time to coordinate the Pet Peace of Mind program.
Designed to help pets and owners stay together as long as possible, she also is sometimes called upon to help find a shelter, foster home, or permanent resident for the pets when they can no longer be cared for.
If you’re interested in learning more after you listen, here are some links:
- Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care
- Cornerstone’s Pet Peace of Mind program
- WUSF’s story on Lee Dodge and Huey
1:03 – Let’s play a get to know you game. Well, a get to know Kristine game. Not you.
5:03 – Answering a question from a past guest. The color purple. Not the movie.
7:15 – Kristine’s role at Cornerstone, working with people and with their pets.
15:51 – Testing Kristine’s knowledge of the news from last week.
21:10 – Where does music fit into Kristine’s schedule? Often, it turns out.
26:22 – An all pet episode of Bad Business Ideas! Breaking windows? Drones? Lie detectors? Yes!
41:10 – Kristine’s college background, and how she started working with pet rescues.
54:30 – What is it like for a patient keeping his pet while in hospice?
