Louella Richer: One Caregiver’s Journey Into Palliative Care

What happens when personal loss sparks not just grief, but the desire to ensure no one dies alone? In this episode of Living Healthy Together, sit down with Louella Richer, manager of palliative care support services at University of Vermont Health - Porter Medical Center, and explore her deeply personal journey through caregiving, grief and healing. After caring for both parents through terminal illness, and losing them both in 2009, Louella transformed trauma into purpose through creative expression, memoir writing, yoga and ultimately a career in palliative care. She now leads a team of more than 100 volunteers who provide companionship, bereavement support and more for patients and families navigating the end of life. This powerful conversation examines what it truly means to be present, why creative expression matters in grief, and how compassion, music and human connection can shape some of life’s most profound moments.