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SPOTLIGHT

Bereavement expert staff join consultant Calvin on his podcast

Mar 17, 2025

Dr Calvin Lightbody

An emergency medicine consultant who hosts a podcast about human mortality was joined by expert colleagues to discuss bereavement.

On the Talking Mortality podcast, Dr Calvin Lightbody, who works at University Hospital Hairmyres, spoke to Graeme Bell, a hospital chaplain at Hairmyres, and Practice Development Practitioner Peter McMillan, who has spent many years working as a nurse in care for older adults.

Calvin said: “Bereavement affects everyone at some point in their life – it is universal but also deeply personal.

“That said, what do we really understand about the nature of bereavement? Are we, as a society, any good at handling its complexities? Or even just being with those who are bereaved?

“Graeme and Peter are two experts when it comes to bereavement and they joined me on the podcast to help answer these questions. Together they have formed a team to deliver education around death, dying and bereavement for NHS hospital staff in a course called Solas.

“We discussed bereavement definitions, what it can feel like for an individual, societal attitudes and common misconceptions. We also shared some of our personal and professional healthcare experiences and looked at ‘anticipatory grief’ – a feeling of loss or grief that happens before the death of a loved one or before a person’s own death.”

You can listen to the podcast at:

Buzzsprout – Good Grief – To A Better Understanding of Bereavement

Apple Podcasts – Good Grief – To A Better Understanding of Bereavement

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