2013 TEDMED Report: What ideas could we help spread?

(Ed. - Please welcome another new blogger to Pallimed, Earl Quijada, MD (@equijada). Earl is a hospice and palliative care doctor in the Inland Empire of California. I first met Earl on Twitter and later at the 2011 AAHPM Assembly in Vancouver and I am very excited he is now a Pallimed contributor! - Sinclair) I know I’m not supposed to say this but I’ll say it once - we’re not a death denying society. I’m starting to learn about death in nonclinical settings. My mind is opening and I’m stoked. I just returned from 2013 TEDMED where the opening salvo encouraged me to drop my palliative care persona, make intellectual and emotional connections, and ask many questions. I was then immersed in thousands of disparate ideas. Imagine my feeling when I realized that I don’t understand my patients. Patient perspectives are not seen. This problem, this theme was repeated. America Bracho, CEO and President of Latino Health Access is solving this problem by turning patients into teachers in the same community. She is creating champions in neighborhoods to teach about diabetes. These teacher/patient relationships share social and environmental denominators. The result is an empowered community. The phrase “non-compliant diabetic” is fading. What if this happened in community where someone was dying? Would it be possible if patient education was done by someone who has gone through the same experience? Would the phrase “he’s in denial” fade? I th...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - Category: Palliative Carer Workers Authors: Source Type: blogs