Behind the Mask Podcast – Sitting with Death

Joe Sehee and Annie Whitlocke recently sat down with Josh Piterman as part of the ‘Behind the Mask’ podcast, delving into what SHA
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Post Covid Melbourne was a strange time. Connections were often broken by the lockdowns, and it could be hard to re-establish friendships and contacts when the lockdowns ended. During the second (and longest) lockdown I moved into a new apartment in inner-city Melbourne.

I was introduced to Social Health Australia, in November 2023. As a totally blind person living on my own, I was looking for people I could connect with, both on the phone and in person.

In 2022, my elderly father, Julius Edmundson, who had already been living with Parkinson’s disease, suffered a stroke. It left him unable to walk and barely able to speak.

Despite whatever genetic predispositions we may possess to calm storms cooperatively, suffering alone is ubiquitous, particularly in the developed world. Social isolation and loneliness make it harder than ever for people to connect, much less heal one another. It explains why GPs in Australia report that about 20% of their appointments involve patients who simply just want to have a chat;
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The first time I stumbled across the words “death doula” they clobbered me. Strong words made stronger by the drum of their alliteration, but that wasn’t it. It was the startling directness about a matter that concern us all, and which we talk about rarely and only in swerving euphemisms.
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Social Health’s response to many issues have been inspired by the people we have supported. Of all them, none has been more influential than John Davey.
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A tough as nails Scottish born immigrant, the only thing Al Adamson has ever loved more than playing ice hockey is his family. When his wife of 60 years died two years ago, coming three months after the suicide of his granddaughter, it took him more than a year to make it back to the rink.
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Rosemary is just the kind of community member Social Health hoped would participate in our ‘Meaning, Purpose and Connection’ project.
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2020 is a year that most of us were happy to leave behind. For Michael, a patient referred to Social Health by Alfred Health, it was especially trying. The former real estate professional was admitted to hospital five times and had an amputation.
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