Magic Mushrooms for Washington Patients? New Push Aims to Speed Psilocybin to the Dying
The Seattle Times reports on a novel strategy to make psilocybin available using state and federal "right to try" laws that allow terminally ill patients access to investigational drugs.Leading palliative care physicians like Ira Byock and Anthony Back... (Source: blog.bioethics.net)
Source: blog.bioethics.net - November 28, 2020 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs
Court Rules Parents May Not Refuse Pain Treatment for Injured Boy
Ms Justice Mary Irvine of the Irish High Court has ruled that a hospital is entitled to withhold invasive interventions and administer a palliative care regime to a profoundly brain-injured boy should his condition substantially deteriorate.John’s pare... (Source: blog.bioethics.net)
Source: blog.bioethics.net - November 24, 2020 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs
Addressing The Range of Patient Beliefs About COVID-19
by Lyle Fettig (@FettigLyle)I ’ve been thinking about my role as a physician in responding to skepticism about a range of COVID topics, especially as we approach the holidays and all the tension about difficult recommendations to forgo traditional Thanksgiving dinners. As I think about our current situation, I can’t help but recall an encounter I had with a patient many years ago.In winter 2008 after President Obama was first elected, I saw a woman in clinic who said she was disappointed by the election result. She cited a jaw dropping falsehood about what she thought his election would mean for healthcare, and especia...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - November 21, 2020 Category: Palliative Care Tags: communication covid fettig Source Type: blogs
End-of-life conversations: Why physicians should embrace the responsibility
Like most situations that physicians encounter in their work, end-of-life conversations are not easy and require preparation and training. Yet these patient discussions are among the most satisfying I ’ve experienced in my career because they’ve made me feel that I’ve made a true difference, offering comfort and a certain level of control to patients and […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 20, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/caroline-defilippo" rel="tag" > Caroline DeFilippo, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
Palliative care and the importance of holding space [PODCAST]
“Holding space means being physically, mentally, and emotionally present for someone. It means putting your focus on someone to support them as they feel their feelings. An important aspect of holding space is managing judgment while you are present. Like when you tell a patient that they have stage IV pancreatic cancer and that it […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 11, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/the-podcast-by-kevinmd" rel="tag" > The Podcast by KevinMD < /a > < /span > Tags: Podcast Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
Medical aid in dying is not assisted suicide [PODCAST]
“To help the reader understand the issues better, I would like to relate some stories. A friend of mine was dying of pancreatic cancer. He had an implantable morphine pump and was on both hospice and palliative care. Still, he found that his suffering was unbearable and wanted to die sooner. Doctors told him that […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 9, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/the-podcast-by-kevinmd" rel="tag" > The Podcast by KevinMD < /a > < /span > Tags: Podcast Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
November Appropriate Month for Celebrating Hospice and Palliative Care
“I hope we don’t have another funeral this Christmas,” my young son said after we wrapped up Halloween. Hearing my child voice that fear nearly broke my heart, but our family had endured the deaths of two elders during the last two Christmas seasons so why wouldn't he wonder if this year would be the same? Thankfully, that particular year we didn’t have a funeral during the season, though we did have another death at that time the following year. So, when it comes to death during the holidays, I have had some experience. I’ve also learned a lot since then about how hospice can not only make the death proces...
Source: Minding Our Elders - November 7, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Informed Consent & Surrogate Consent – Clinical Ethics Conference 11/09/20
Join me on Monday, November 9, 2020, for an all-day clinical ethics conference with the Vermont Ethics Network and the Palliative Care & Pain Management Task Force.8:30 – 9:45am: Thaddeus M. Pope, JD, PhD: Informed Consent: Ethics & the La... (Source: blog.bioethics.net)
Source: blog.bioethics.net - November 5, 2020 Category: Medical Ethics Authors: Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD Tags: Health Care syndicated Source Type: blogs
Incontinence Embarrassment Can Be Overcome with Support
Dear Carol: I’m a 65-year-old man who had prostate surgery for cancer that left me incontinent. While I’m certainly grateful that the surgery stopped my cancer, I’m really embarrassed by my incontinence. I hate even doing things with my buddies because I feel like a baby who hasn’t been toilet trained. How do I learn to be happy about my new post-cancer life? Classic cars are my thing and I want to join the guys at the car club while we restore them, but I just can’t make myself go away from the house. My wife says that I just have to get on with it, but how do I do that? – Classic Man
Continue rea...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 27, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Temporarily Switching up Incontinence Management Could Make Dad ’s Trip Possible
Dear Carol: My father is 72 and is in the moderate stages of dementia. Before his dementia diagnosis, he was an active hunter and fisherman. He also has incontinence issues due to prostate cancer, surgery, and treatment. This requires an external urinary attachment system to maintain an active daily life. My mother, as his primary caregiver, works diligently to keep the system and attachments clean and in working order. However, he is at the stage in his dementia journey where he is not able to maintain this attachment on his own. Yet he is defiant when we try to explain that he cannot go on trips with friends becaus...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 26, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Could a New Medication Be the Cause of Mom ’s More Frequent Falls?
Dear Carol: My mom had a lot of health problems in her life, so her prescription list is long. Yet, sure enough, after her last doctor visit, she got yet one more prescription. Now, just a week after starting this new medication, she’s fallen three times. She frequently fell before, so I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but this seems extreme. Could medications cause this? Is this okay that she has so many medications? – Worried About Mom’s Meds
Continue reading on Egosancares for more insight into how some medications can increase the risk of senior falls:
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Source: Minding Our Elders - October 24, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Chlorpromazine in Delirium FTW!
by Drew Rosielle (@drosielle)David Hui, Eduardo Bruera, and colleagues havepublished another important delirium trial out of MD Anderson which I thought was worth blogging about in detail.In some ways it ' s related to thesame group ' s RCT a few years ago of lorazepam added to haloperidol for agitation in hospitalized advanced cancer patients with delirium (showing the lorazepam quite effectively reduced agitation via presumably a sedating effect). As I pointed out in the Palllimed post about that trial, while they labeled their patient group as ' agitated delirium in advanced cancer ' , in essence it was really a sedatio...
Source: Pallimed: A Hospice and Palliative Medicine Blog - October 23, 2020 Category: Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
Medications Can Trigger or Worsen Cognitive or Incontinence Problems
Medications save lives and/or increase the quality of life for many people. Yet, there are few if any medications that have no side effects, many of which may negatively affect the brain or other organs of the body. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says there is evidence that some overactive bladder medications (OBMs) can cause issues that are similar to Alzheimer’s and may, in some cases, even contribute to triggering symptoms. “Our study indicates an association between taking oxybutynin, solifenacin, and tolterodine and the subsequent diagnosis of dementia in DM patients. Moreover,...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 23, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
You will be unprepared to face death
I wrote my undergraduate thesis on death and dying. I read journal articles trying to understand what death meant and how it affected people. I spent hours reading books, both fiction and nonfiction, trying to understand if you can ever die a good death. I engaged in meaningful conversations with compassionate and astute physicians, nurses, […]Find jobs at Careers by KevinMD.com. Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now. Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 22, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/simran-kripalani" rel="tag" > Simran Kripalani < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Palliative Care Source Type: blogs
What Could Be Causing Dad's Sudden Personality Change?
Dear Carol: My dad, 86, lives with me. He has an academic’s personality, so we’ve often talked about different issues that spanned all disciplines. He’s always been gentle and kind and rarely criticized anyone unless that criticism was warranted. Dad's had significant health issues these last few years, which is why, after Mom died, we decided to live together. Suddenly, I can’t do anything right. Uncharacteristically, he's started yelling at people who try to help him. What's going on? – Scared
Continue reading on Egosancares for more insight into what could be causing Dad's personality change:
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Source: Minding Our Elders - October 22, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
