relationships – Page 4 – at the heart of medicine … the person

core aspects of family conferences …

Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Journal Club / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

… Fineberg etal present an empirically derived model of family conferences. Core aspects include conference organization, negotiation, personal stance and emotional work … all working toward meaningful connections with those involved. “Emotion work during the family conference appears to function as a crucial gatekeeper to achieving the desired outcome for the meeting.” Fineberg etal. Communication with Families […]

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it is also lonely among men …

Art & Literature, Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

“Good evening,” said the little prince courteously. “Good evening,” said the snake. “What planet is this on which I have come down?” asked the little prince. “This is the Earth; this is Africa,” the snake answered. “Ah! Then there are no people on the Earth?” “This is the desert. There are no people in the

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hitchens loses his (physical) voice …

Art & Literature, Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker, And in short, I was afraid. —T. S. Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Christopher Hitchens writes about the loss of his voice in his continuing journey with esophageal cancer … “In

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honoring & following … the elderly …

Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

… how nourishing it can be to sit with a person in their 80s and listen to the stories of their life. What’s refreshing about a person of this age is that pride and vanity have largely fallen away from their faces and they gaze on the world in a less defensive, more open, more childlike way.

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Wit … and forgiveness …

Art & Literature, Hospice & Palliative Medicine, KU Med School, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

The play ‘Wit’ will be performed today and this weekend at Bethel College. “Unless we are prepared to deal with these issues of dignity and forgiveness in our own lives, we will not be able to deal with issues of dignity and forgiveness in the lives of those we serve. We share Vivian Bearing’s [the

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platform ticket …

2 Comments / Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

Derek Doyle in his book The Platform Ticket … Perhaps it is only when you have worked in a hospice that you truly appreciate … that it is not death which people fear but the manner of dying, whether it be the pain or the fear or, we are often told, the loneliness. Let me

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diane meier on community …

1 Comment / Bioethics, Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

… in a recent conference Diane Meier discusses her experience re assisted suicide … transcript of key passage … video of her entire talk … “And as I got a bit older and had more experience taking care of patients and families, and realizing autonomy was not really relevant to the human condition – We

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patients only a mother could love …

Journal Club, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

… Gawande writes about ‘hot spotters’ … “An important idea is getting its test run in America: the creation of intensive outpatient care to target hot spots, and thereby reduce over-all health-care costs.” A common factor these programs share is intense one-on-one care and accompaniment by an interdisciplinary team … “My philosophy about primary care

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What does care mean …?

Hospice & Palliative Medicine, Journal Club, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

Janssen and Macleod in Pall & Supportive Care talk to patients and their caregivers about how doctors do (or do not) care for them as individuals. “Building a caring human relationship begins with doctors recognizing themselves and each patient as individuals first and foremost. A connection invited on that level provides a firm base on

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gawande on solitary confinement …

Bioethics, Spirituality / Gerard S Brungardt MD BeL

… we are social beings … relational … on our death bed, all we will have is our relationships. “Everyone’s identity is socially created: it’s through your relationships that you understand yourself as a mother or a father, a teacher or an accountant, a hero or a villain.” Hellhole – Atul Gawande – New Yorker

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