Journal of Palliative Medicine

Would you be surprised if…?

Marian Grant NP — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:53:13 +0000

A 94-year old male, thin and frail, has a history of lung injury from tuberculosis he contracted during 27 years in prison. He has been hospitalized four times since December, most recently in April when he got fluid from his lungs drained. He has been treated several times over the past few weeks for recurrent pneumonia and is now in the hospital again. He has been there for four days. I think most of us would say we would not be surprised if his death was in the near future. But the patient is the much beloved Nelson Mandela, the former president of South Africa.

Spiritual Influence

Phil Cox- Chaplain — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 16:44:21 +0000

Recently I hosted a spring conference for chaplains, and the overall topic was palliative care. A local pulmonologist did an excellent job with his presentation, “Palliative Care and Lung Disease”. He did something I did not expect. He tailored it… Read the rest

What’s In a Name?

Ritamarie Moscola MD, MPH — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 20:44:50 +0000

On May 22nd, I celebrate the Feast of St. Rita. When I was a girl, my church celebrated with Roses. I had forgotten about this until a few years ago when a single Iris bloomed in my yard. I didn’t think that the Irises would ever bloom. The day was May 22nd. I thought about St. Rita’s rose again. I viewed a film about her life.

Seeing is believing

Marian Grant NP — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:24:17 +0000

As an eternal optimist, hey I work in palliative care, I am hopeful that new handheld technology will help patients and families make more appropriate decisions about how much aggressive medical care they want at the end of life. Some… Read the rest

Final Conversations

Ryan Weller LCSW — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:51:28 +0000

The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke said, “A person isn’t who they are during the last conversation you had with them – they’re who they’ve been throughout your whole relationship.” Is this true even when the “last conversation” is the very last conversation prior to death? I have always been a believer in the power and possibility of an individual’s transformation as death approaches. I’ve seen amazing final conversations that involve forgiveness and healing that could not have happened apart from the context of imminent death. And so, when contemplating this quote and whether or not it applies in the face of a literal final conversation, my first inclination is to say no, the very last conversation can be even more powerful than who this person was during the whole relationship.

The Name Debate: “Palliative” vs. “Supportive” Care

Marian Grant NP — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 19:52:13 +0000

On this issue I’d long been a believer in “palliative”. After all, most Americans don’t know what palliative care is http://bit.ly/jIChMM and so it seemed an opportunity to build awareness behind the concept. (This is the ideal marketing situation where you get to define what your product or service stands for.)

Reflections During Holy Week

Ritamarie Moscola MD, MPH — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 17:54:42 +0000

Almost every year I tell myself that this will be the year that I create a series of visual images in response to the Stations of the Cross. Sometimes I am lucky enough to make a drawing. This year, I thought that I could write an essay for this column.

Death and Dying in Nigeria–A Social Commentary

Folaju Olusegun.Oyebola MBBS,DAWACS — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:33:36 +0000

The Bible says "there is a time to be born and a time to die". This saying reminds everyone of our mortality and the debt. A discourse about dying and death in most human society including Nigeria is a taboo.

Spotlight on Veterans

Ryan Weller LCSW — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:39:35 +0000

In the hospice community and within the Department of Veterans Affairs, it has become known that approximately one-fourth of all Americans who are dying are veterans.

Give me liberty or give me death (via aggressive medical care)

Marian Grant NP — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 01:33:25 +0000

An NPR story last week described Americans as more willing to support policies if they’re framed in the language of individual liberty instead of benefiting the common good. This was discussed in the context of gun control. But it has ramifications for end-of-life policies as well.

Sticking Together

Phil Cox- Chaplain — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:52:04 +0000

"Are you coming in?" the nurse asked. "As soon as you finish," I replied. She said the patient had just been extibated (breathing tube removed), and was already turning blue. The respiratory therapist was just finishing up, and I gowned, gloved, and masked to go in to see the isolated patient.

Online Memorials

Susan Cadell -Pediatric Palliative Social Work Expert — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:57:39 +0000

There is little question that the internet has changed our lives in North America and many other places in the world. I can hardly remember how I used to get accomplished some of the tasks that I do online before the days of the internet. The internet has also influenced palliative care. People diagnosed with illnesses and their families seek out information and can obtain it in ways that were not always so readily available to everyone. The accuracy of the information is always a concern to care providers but the availability of reliable sources has increased along with the general understanding of how to assess that reliability.

Trending Now: #TBCP

Nicky Quinlan, MB, MRCPI — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:18:06 +0000

If palliative care was a business one could say it is in the midst of a brand crisis. (See my earlier post- The Conversation Stopper). Luckily the brand is both evolving and expanding as healthcare reform germinates in the US. Also recently the #HPM and healthcare literature in general appears increasingly peppered (in no small thanks to Dr. Ira Byock) with aspirations to ‘the best care possible’. I worry that this sound bite will rapidly become a cliché and lose its oomph. I hope it won’t.

“If You’re In, then I’m Out”

Kennan.N.Moore LCSW — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:18:26 +0000

"If you're in, then I'm out." I see this routinely in the charts of patients referred to our outpatient palliative care program: “Will defer further outreach and follow-up as patient has been referred to palliative care.” “Patient to be followed by home palliative care, so no further follow-up needed.” “Patient interested in hospice care, but will defer discussion to palliative care.” A few days ago, a primary care RN told me, “if you’re in, then I’m out.”

February is Women’s Heart Health Month

Nicole Johnson LCSW — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 04:35:22 +0000

The majority of Caregivers are women, caring for their children, their parents, their partners, and their spouses. Because it’s not uncommon for Caregivers to put their own health needs aside to focus on the needs of their loved ones, VA wants to make sure our Caregivers know about heart health. Did you know that heart disease is the #1 cause of death in women? The good news is, there are several things you can do to help reduce your risk of heart disease. February is Women’s Heart Health Month and the VA is here to make sure the “beat goes on” for women Caregivers and Veterans.