Hospice and Harmony: Life in a Major Key
Manage episode 505425941 series 3347839
What happens when bedside stories we almost never hear step into the light—and sing? In this episode, Ben Kintisch—chaplain, Cantor, and playwright behind “Life Review: The Hospice Musical” —shares how end-of-life moments became songs that make you laugh, weep, and reach for someone you love.
We get honest about what hospice really is: the power of moments over months, the chaplain’s craft of presence, turning private goodbyes into public courage, and how theater can carry truths beyond words.
Ben draws from journals, bedside memories, and raw emotion, shaping them into lyrics and scenes that hold the weight of these encounters on stage. He reflects on the losses that shape us, the family dramas that surface in final chapters, and the act of transforming intimate goodbyes into music and story. At the center is a brave reminder: claim the days you have, until the very end.
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Chapters
1. Introduction to Hospice and Harmony (00:00:00)
2. Life Review: The Hospice Musical (00:03:44)
3. Lessons from the Bedside (00:08:36)
4. Stories That Wanted to Be Songs (00:18:16)
5. Making Grief Singable (00:26:46)
6. Healthcare Directives and End-of-Life Planning (00:34:04)
7. The Power of Storytelling (00:43:13)
8. Living Until You Die (00:55:13)
9. Closing Thoughts and Takeaways (01:03:30)
115 episodes