Todays Gray Matters Valuing the Wisdom & Purpose In Aging Well

I’ve witnessed far too many ICU scenes, as a hospital chaplain, a hospice social worker, and a daughter of elderly parents. The scenes were often dehumanizing, so I’m glad to see this article from today’s Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/effort-to-reduce-harm-in-hospitals-centers-on-seeing-patient-as-a-person/2015/04/08/13c7a814-da16-11e4-b3f2-607bd612aeac_story.htm Please share your experiences in the comments. Let’s work together to keep medicine humane. Read More »

Here we are in mid-December and it’s impossible not to notice the winter holiday season. I only have 1 daughter coming home for 4 days. Others are more fortunate to have a lot of holiday company. Or are they? I remember one set of grandparents proudly telling us about how all their kids and grandkids came home and stayed with ... Read More »

Why me? Oh, no! This is the end. How will I ever  make it? Are these the kinds of things that go through your mind when you get unwelcome news about yourself and your life? Have you ever thought things were so bad you might as well end it all? Here’s a video about a man who was so despondent ... Read More »

What happens to you when the seasons change? I’m not talking about getting out the summer clothes, taking down the Christmas lights and things like that. Is there any change inside you? For me, no matter which season is beginning and which is ending, I feel a mixture of hope and nostalgia. I remember the seasons of years past as ... Read More »

If you’re like many people, Shakespeare isn’t at the top of your reading list. His works, however, contain many wise words.  “Disturb him not, let him pass peaceably. They also serve who only stand and wait” comes from Henry VI, pt II, act III, scene 3. These are words family members and medical professionals would do well to keep in ... Read More »

How well do you know your doctor? Even more important, how well does your doctor know you? In Knocking on Heaven’s Door: A Better Way to Death Katy Butler writes that more and more doctors practice as skilled technicians with their own agendas. She states that “something precious–our old faith in a doctor’s calling, perhaps, or in healing that is more ... Read More »

We’re in the middle of the winter holiday season. Retailers are hoping to sell you a lot of things, television is showing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and other Christmas specials, the mailbox is full of catalogs proclaiming holiday deals. It seems there are a lot of things we’re supposed to do: be happy, shop, eat, get ... Read More »

Sometimes people in retirement communities need more help than their care package provides. People in independent living apartments enjoy living “on their own” but could perhaps use help with laundry or basic household tasks. Residents of an assisted living facility may want to remain in their familiar apartments even when they become unable to take care of themselves and could ... Read More »

When you were a kid, did you ever listen to adults talk about how they would most like to die? I remember hearing over and over that my grandparents, aunts, and uncles would like to “die in my sleep.” Nobody talked about wanting to be rushed to the hospital where they might have IV’s, breathing tubes, feeding tubes, and other ... Read More »