… Rutecki discusses the recent literature (also here) and reminds us that “it’s about time and touch as well. Human intimacy is not reimbursable, it transcends dollars and cents, and we cannot be said to care at all without it.”
the dignity of hand feeding those with dementia … Read More »
Discussing the many psychological and spiritual maladies of our times, John Waters suggests the root problem may lie in our failure to recognize our utter dependence … “The desire to impose order on the universe and to become unsettled at our inevitable failure to do so may be ultimately a symptom of the expression in
autonomy … control … unhinged? Read More »
Video portraits of elderly Americans living in a variety of circumstances – from Columbia School of Journalism. New Old Age blog summarizes. NYT link.
oh yeah? what’s a real logger look like? Read More »
… Nuala O’Faolain’s interview with Marian Finucane – on her experience after being diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer … a transcript. Her friend Nell McCafferty describes the interview as “listening to the cry of an animal in the forest.” “It amazed me, Marian, how quickly life turned black, immediately almost. For example, I lived somewhere
the essence of this experience is alone-ness … Read More »
… we swim in a culture of autonomy … independence … But is this what we are in our deepest selves? Lynch discusses … from his book Images of Hope: Imagination as Healer of the Hopeless. It is the secret fear of most people that they cannot have both dependence and independence, just as it
… is getting a lot of press … the NEJM article and editorial. … NYT … WSJ … Diane Rehm show with Diane Meier, Atul Gawande and the study authors. Alex Smith and GeriPal summarize … Tim Cousounis with an excellent summary … providing balance and caution … scroll down for Weissman’s warning of “over-interpretation” and
nejm study … palliative care in lung cancer … Read More »
… “Why do we make potentially inefficacious therapies the default and require patients to opt out to avoid them?” … asks Brauner in a JAGS editorial accompanying an article on comfort feeding. “By creating an alternative treatment order—comfort feeding only (CFO)—Palecek and colleagues1 have taken an important step toward improving the care of persons with
default medicine … Read More »
… a study of the different factors that patients with ALS consider in deciding on assisted ventilation. “(1) the meaning of the intervention— participants made a sharp distinction between non-invasive ventilation, which they viewed as a means to relieve symptoms of respiratory failure, and invasive ventilation, which they viewed as taking over their breathing and
burdens & benefits that patients weigh in making decisions … Read More »
… an article in the most recent Journal of Medicine and the Person discusses the importance of attending to and recognizing the basic needs of our patients and families. A transcript of the original talk and related talks from the 2009 Med Conference. “The key lies in recognizing these basic needs. Not what we have
recognizing our patient’s needs … Read More »
… “After so much stress on the necessity of a leader to prevent his own personal feelings and attitudes from interfering in a helping relationship … it seems necessary to re-establish the basic principle that no one can help anyone without becoming involved, without entering with his whole person into the painful situation, without taking
wounded healer … henri nouwen … Read More »
