Linda was aware that her mother, Rose, was not getting better. This was Rose’s third emergency visit in a month for shortness of breath. Rose was 86-years-old and had a bad heart valve that triggered congestive heart failure. After Rose described her symptoms to the physician, Linda prompted her mom to speak up by saying, “We need to talk about … [Read more...] about Adopt Your Caregiving Philosophy
Caregivers
Bringing Your Personality to Caregiving.
What do people like about your personality? Are you fun-loving or organized? Do you see the glass half-full or half-empty? Do you tell it like it is or mince words? Do you like to speak on behalf of others or prefer to listen to what they say? Do you know how to act when the physician walks in the room? While Helen was telling the ER doctor about … [Read more...] about Bringing Your Personality to Caregiving.
Planting a Seed for 2017 to Support Caregivers
The ER doctor asked Tilly, a 96-year-old woman, what she wanted to do? She had COPD and difficulty breathing. There was no evidence of pneumonia on her chest x-ray and her lab studies were unremarkable. Did Tilly feel comfortable going home or did she prefer to stay in the hospital? Carol, her daughter, gave her mother a chance to respond. Tilly … [Read more...] about Planting a Seed for 2017 to Support Caregivers
The Palliative Caregiver
I never realized the true meaning of palliative care amidst the harried practice of emergency medicine. The pressure being placed on me to do more often becomes the same expectation I place on patients to receive more treatment. Gloria, the wife of my patient with terminal mesothelioma shed a light on palliative care for me with the insightful … [Read more...] about The Palliative Caregiver