Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
My guests for this episode, Lisa Pahl and Jamie Thrower, are the co-creators of The Dementia Deck, a new card game to help inspire conversations about demential. Lisa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Advanced Practice Hospice and Palliative Social Worker who previously created The Death Deck and The EOL Deck--conversation games that are changing the way we talk about death. Jamie is a queer death doula, end-of-life educator and community grief-tender serving the LGBTQ+ community in life and in death. She also runs Queer Grief Club (and I plan to have her back on the podcast to talk about her work!) They discuss how to use The Dementia Deck to overcome fears of dementia and help families prepare for future changes and decision-making. Learn more at their websites:
thedeathdeck.com
jamiethrower.com
This episode includes:
-What The Death Deck and The EOL Deck consist of
-The story behind The Dementia Deck and its creation
-How Jamie collaborated on the design of the deck
-Why conversations and advance care planning are important for people with dementia
-Many people fear dementia even more than death
-Millions of Americans are impacted by dementia either as a patient or a caregiver
-How to introduce The Dementia Deck to an individual
-Tips for getting the most out of working with the deck
-Why it's important to "stack the deck" when you first begin talking about dementia
🍃 Subscribe to my email list: eepurl.com/ExfLL
🍂 Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop: bookshop.org/lists/books-by-karen-wyatt-md and Indiebound:
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying : indiebound.org/book/9781786783110
The Journey from Ego to Soul: indiebound.org/book/9780982685563
🍃 Subscribe to this podcast on
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/end-of-life-university/id1033282990
Google: podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXNzb25zZnJvbWR5aW5nLndvcmRwcmVzcy5jb20vZmVlZC8
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7bdr4odBlaaDy8NoJhcFsL
iHeart Radio: iheart.com/podcast/256-end-of-life-university-31099550
Stitcher Radio: stitcher.com/show/endoflife-university
🍂 Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past: eolupodcast.com/series
🍃 Join the team at my Patreon page patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
🍂 Intro Music Credit:
"Bright Wish" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
My guests for this episode, Lisa Pahl and Jamie Thrower, are the co-creators of The Dementia Deck, a new card game to help inspire conversations about demential. Lisa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Advanced Practice Hospice and Palliative Social Worker who previously created The Death Deck and The EOL Deck--conversation games that are changing the way we talk about death. Jamie is a queer death doula, end-of-life educator and community grief-tender serving the LGBTQ+ community in life and in death. She also runs Queer Grief Club (and I plan to have her back on the podcast to talk about her work!) They discuss how to use The Dementia Deck to overcome fears of dementia and help families prepare for future changes and decision-making. Learn more at their websites:
thedeathdeck.com
jamiethrower.com
This episode includes:
-What The Death Deck and The EOL Deck consist of
-The story behind The Dementia Deck and its creation
-How Jamie collaborated on the design of the deck
-Why conversations and advance care planning are important for people with dementia
-Many people fear dementia even more than death
-Millions of Americans are impacted by dementia either as a patient or a caregiver
-How to introduce The Dementia Deck to an individual
-Tips for getting the most out of working with the deck
-Why it's important to "stack the deck" when you first begin talking about dementia
🍃 Subscribe to my email list: eepurl.com/ExfLL
🍂 Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop: bookshop.org/lists/books-by-karen-wyatt-md and Indiebound:
7 Lessons for Living from the Dying : indiebound.org/book/9781786783110
The Journey from Ego to Soul: indiebound.org/book/9780982685563
🍃 Subscribe to this podcast on
Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/end-of-life-university/id1033282990
Google: podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9sZXNzb25zZnJvbWR5aW5nLndvcmRwcmVzcy5jb20vZmVlZC8
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7bdr4odBlaaDy8NoJhcFsL
iHeart Radio: iheart.com/podcast/256-end-of-life-university-31099550
Stitcher Radio: stitcher.com/show/endoflife-university
🍂 Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past: eolupodcast.com/series
🍃 Join the team at my Patreon page patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!
🍂 Intro Music Credit:
"Bright Wish" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
