Show Notes
In this Hsien talks with Dr. Chetna Malhotra, a leading palliative care and health services researcher in Singapore. They explore the gap between what people say they want at the end of life and the care they actually receive, especially in hospital-heavy systems. Together, they unpack how culture, family, and religion shape decisions, and why advanced care planning should focus less on fixed choices and more on preparing families for real-time decisions. Dr. Malhotra also shares how digital tools and caregiver support innovations like the Care Buddy app are helping patients and families navigate serious illness. To learn more about Chetnas work visit: https://www.duke-nus.edu.sg/directory/detail/chetna-malhotra Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/ Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
More from The Waiting Room Revolution
In this episode, Hsien talks with Brenda Blais, lifelong caregiver and disability rights advocate, about caring for her daughter Nikki, who lived with complex medical needs for nearly 30 years. Brenda shares how she found her voice as an advocate, partnered with care teams, and kept Nikki’s joy and quality of life at the center of her care. She also reflects on Nikki’s end-of-life journey and offers practical advice for caregivers and the people who support them.
In this episode, Hsien talks to Dr. Stephen Connor, Executive Director of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance, about his extensive career in hospice and palliative care. Dr. Connor reflects on how the field has evolved, ongoing gaps in access to palliative care, and the importance of families, communities, and lived experience in shaping care. He also shares lessons from global advocacy and what it takes to reduce preventable suffering. Read more about Dr. Connor's work here: https://stephenconnorphd.net Read more about the global atlas of palliative care visit: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/integrated-health-services-%28ihs%29/csy/palliative-care/whpca_global_atlas_p5_digital_final.pdf Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/
In this episode, grief and life coach Linda Levine shares how her husband David’s ALS diagnosis reshaped (but didn’t erase) their love story. Linda and Hsien chat about protecting caregiver identity, asking for help, navigating grief in a death‑denying society, and reclaiming intimacy and joy even as illness progresses. Linda shares how ALS may change a body, it doesn’t have to take two lives. Learn more about Linda on her website: https://www.surpriseenterprise.com/about Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/ Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
In this episode, Hsien talks with Dr. Mary Ellen Macdonald, a social scientist and palliative care researcher working in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Hsien and Mary Ellen discuss the importance of grief literacy, death literacy, and person-centered care in palliative medicine. We also chat about grief at work, and how timing played an important role in community expressions of grief in Nova Scotia. Read more about Mary Ellens work here: https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/department-sites/medicine/divisions/palliative-medicine/our-people/faculty/maryellen-macdonald.html
In this episode of Waiting Room Revolution, Hsien talks with Dr. Dan Dorevitch, a pediatric palliative care physician in Australia. Hsien and Dan discuss the nuances of pediatric palliative care and how communication strategies apply across the entire age spectrum in healthcare. Visit our website to learn more about our work, check out the book and workbook, view our resources and to join our newsletter: https://www.waitingroomrevolution.com/ Our theme song is Maypole by Ketsa and is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0