Discussions and Events
Check the schedule for upcoming online discussions and in-person events.
Can’t make it to the live session? Once registered, you’ll receive a link to the recording.
All events are listed in PST
Online webinar discussions are free and open to anyone who wants to join.
Click on any of the scheduled conversations and events below to find out more and RSVP.
Finding, Hiring and Living with Aides
Hiring aides is generally a mysterious process until you find yourself in need of additional help.
Perfectionism in Illness and Death
Phrases like a "good death" can lead us to think that this is another area we need to control and manage. But then, how does it feel to those who did not achieve this "good" experience? Have they failed? Illness and dying are unpredictable, messy, beautiful, and hard (just to name a few). Trying to perfect the experience isn't always possible, and we ask: is perfect really the goal?
Uncertainty
Join Tom Grothe for a discussion on uncertainty. A new and difficult diagnosis throws us into uncertainty. All your assumptions about your life and your future are thrown into disarray. Yesterday you knew what next year was going to be like; now even forecasting tomorrow can be difficult. Will treatments work to slow disease progression? Can you keep working? What does this mean for your relationships? How do you adjust to living life daily AND not knowing what is in your future? Of all the many things that a serious diagnosis takes from you, some believe that this loss of the assumptive world is one of the hardest. This webinar will explore possible meaningful ways to live in uncertainty. We will explore uncertainties relationship to hopefulness and finding courage. It’s likely we will present some science behind uncertainty, as well at what philosophy and religion says about uncertainty.
Understanding MAID and VSED
A discussion that covers the emotional and practical aspects of both MAID: medical aid-in-dying, and VSED: Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking. Both are choices that involve the whole care circle and understanding how the steps work logistically as well as play out in a body are important aspects to navigating these decisions.
The Last Days of Life
A discussion on what to expect from a body close to dying. We'll cover physical symptoms those at the bedside might see; understanding why the symptoms are occurring can bring comfort instead of worry for all involved as well as give people guide-posts as they sit vigil.
the myth of “disability”
Disability is a minority group that any of us could join at any time. For something so normal, disability remains shrouded in shame.
Navigating Holiday Stress
There aren’t a lot of places caregivers and patients can go to talk about stress of holidays when ongoing merriment is the expectation. Join this real time discussion on navigating the joys and pains of giving, and receiving, care during the holidays.
culture and care
Healthcare uses a one-size fits all model in order to streamline care, but who we are influences our health care and relationships with providers, meaning you need to advocate for yourself, your culture and your preferences.
dialectics: holding multiple truths
Too often, our journeys through illness get simplified. In reality, our experiences are complex, rich, and far from simple. When we create a space to hold dialectics-- to hold two seemingly opposing things as simultaneously true, with neither negating the other-- we often come in touch with a more authentic truth.
advance care planning: polst and dnr documents
POLSTS and DNRs are tricky to complete if you don't understand the context or consequences.
all about palliative care
Hospice and palliative care are too often confused with each other; but are importantly different.
realities of healthcare in america
The realities of health care in America can be bleak. What really happens versus the ideal, how you might navigate the reality to meet your goals? While our healthcare system is broken, it's the only one we have so it's important to know how to best use it and also set expectations.
it's ok to be ok, even if everything is not fine.
There is no right way to do disability or chronic illness. The important thing is to understand what matters to you, and own it, so you can thrive living with what is rather than struggling to reclaim what used to be.
awe and synchronicity
Discussion of aspects of awe and synchronicity that appear for many at the end of life.
special*caregiving series
Caregiving encompasses everything, from the emotional to the practical to the medical, the list is endless.
all about advance directives
Advance directive documents are tricky to complete if you don't understand the context or consequences.
navigating pet illness and loss
When pets become sick and die, it can be overwhelming on a level that doesn't feel fully appreciated or understood by society around us.
Mettle Health Community
Mettle Health will be offering Mettle Community meetings to support conversations related to members' concerns about care of themselves, or the care of another person, and to help create connections between people with similar experiences. Our hope is the meetings will provide a safe place for people to talk openly about challenges of living with serious illness, whether as a patient or caregiver.
mindfulness and stress reduction
Meditation calms our minds and opens our hearts. It can reduce stress, promote relaxation and healing, and bring us into deep connection with ourselves, others, and our world.
On intimacy, sexuality & sensuality
Deep physical connection is as primal as it gets. Yet, our sex lives are among the first things to go when we’re sick.
Mettle Health Community
Mettle Health will be offering Mettle Community meetings to support conversations related to members' concerns about care of themselves, or the care of another person, and to help create connections between people with similar experiences. Our hope is the meetings will provide a safe place for people to talk openly about challenges of living with serious illness, whether as a patient or caregiver.
family discord and patient advocacy
Navigating illness, from any angle, is so much about relationships, but years of backstory can complicate things.
Mettle Health Community
Mettle Health will be offering Mettle Community meetings to support conversations related to members' concerns about care of themselves, or the care of another person, and to help create connections between people with similar experiences. Our hope is the meetings will provide a safe place for people to talk openly about challenges of living with serious illness, whether as a patient or caregiver.
Hospice: Deep Dive
Dying is a part of life and there are services out there to help with this important transition. Understanding how hospice care works is an important step in designing your end of life, or for someone you care for.
the many facets of grief
Grief is unavoidable. It pays to lean into grief rather than to run away, and that requires patience, time, and support.
Mettle Health Community
Mettle Health will be offering Mettle Community meetings to support conversations related to members' concerns about care of themselves, or the care of another person, and to help create connections between people with similar experiences. Our hope is the meetings will provide a safe place for people to talk openly about challenges of living with serious illness, whether as a patient or caregiver.
Unseen: The Stories we make of our lives
The stories we tell ourselves are powerful, how to think about these narratives - where to hold on, and where to let go?
Thinking About Hope
How to think about HOPE in the context of serious illness and end of life.
Mettle Health Community
Mettle Health will be offering Mettle Community meetings to support conversations related to members' concerns about care of themselves, or the care of another person, and to help create connections between people with similar experiences. Our hope is the meetings will provide a safe place for people to talk openly about challenges of living with serious illness, whether as a patient or caregiver.
Navigating Holiday Stress
There aren’t a lot of places caregivers and patients can go to talk about stress of holidays when ongoing merriment is the expectation. Join this real time discussion on navigating the joys and pains of giving, and receiving, care during the holidays.
the myth of “disability”
Disability is a minority group that any of us could join at any time. For something so normal, disability remains shrouded in shame.
caregiving series
Caregiving encompasses everything, from the emotional to the practical to the medical, the list is endless.
Patient-Centered Discussion: Lessons Learned
Patient-centered care means talking to, and learning from, people living with serious or chronic illness. How do they view their experience, what do they want more of from the medical team, what lessons have they learned? Join us for a special discussion co-hosted by members of the Mettle community.
Serious Illness and End of Life Planning for LGBTQ+ Community
Join BJ Miller, MD and Kate Cataldo,RN for a discussion on serious illness and end of life considerations for the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ individuals often face challenges and barriers to accessing health services and, as a result, can experience worse health outcomes, adding unnecessary suffering to an already difficult period.
Navigating the Hospital & ICU
Join BJ Miller, MD and Deven Kothari, MD for a discussion on navigating a hospital stay and ICU. There are times when the hospital can save your life, and times when it can cause damage. Knowing what goes on in the hospital system before you find yourself there can help prepare you in big ways for what’s to come, and what your preferences are.