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What People with Dementia Wish Their Caregivers Knew
People living with dementia are the only ones who really understand what it’s like to live with their form of the disease, whether it’s Alzheimer’s or another type such as frontotemporal (FTD) or Lewy body (LBD). Sadly, the ability to communicate becomes compromised by dementia. That being said, care partners can, if we take time to search out the meaning behind their words or actions, continue to improve the care provided. Here are some tips that can help you. View the complete slideshow on HealthCentral to learn more about what people living with dementia wish we knew: Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their P...
Source: Minding Our Elders - November 22, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs

Overcoming Denial to Seek Potential Dementia Diagnosis
An article in the UK Telegraph reported on a survey showing that two-thirds of people over the age of 50 are more afraid of developing dementia than of getting cancer. Other surveys show similar percentages.  One reason for this intense fear of Alzheimer's is obvious. While many types of cancer can be cured, most types of dementia cannot. However, another reason is that the idea of being betrayed by our brains to the point that we are essentially lost in the disease is abhorrent to most of us. This fear, unfortunately, tends to make many people less than willing to see a physician for dementia testing even whe...
Source: Minding Our Elders - November 21, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs

Why you should add advance directives to your college freshman ’s checklist [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “Suppose you’re getting ready to send your young adult off to college for the first time. In that case, you’ve likely been spending the summer getting college dorm and apartment essentials lined up: bedding, storage cubes, first aid kit, extension cords, dry erase board Read more… Why you should add advance directives to your college freshman’s checklist [PODCAST] originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 18, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: 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  Continue reading about how November became a...
Source: Minding Our Elders - November 14, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs

What being a hospice volunteer taught me about health care
The finality of death is a powerful teacher. For some patients, being diagnosed with a terminal illness is an experience that lends a tremendous shift in perspective and newfound authenticity. This can be instructive to them and the people around them. As psychologist Charles Garfield says, “The living have much to learn from the dying.” Read more… What being a hospice volunteer taught me about health care originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - November 5, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Education Palliative Care Source Type: blogs

Lessons in avoiding compassion fatigue
An excerpt from A Caregiver’s Love Story. Caregiver burnout is a real and serious problem for those caregivers in for the long haul. It is a serious issue if you go to bed each night in anguish over the next day’s chores and wake up each morning with a feeling of heaviness and a reluctance Read more… Lessons in avoiding compassion fatigue originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 29, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions Palliative Care Source Type: blogs

Giving language to empathy: lessons from palliative care [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “The value of empathy in medicine is seldom debated. Just as the art of medicine is taught as the balance of knowledge and application, so has empathy been recognized as both a value to be fostered and a skill to be learned. Medical curricula Read more… Giving language to empathy: lessons from palliative care [PODCAST] originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 27, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Podcast Palliative Care Source Type: blogs

Why Would Mom Choose to Smell Rather Than Use Incontinence Products?
Dear Carol: My mom is only 79 but she has a lot of health problems including lung disease requiring oxygen. She receives good health care through her Medicare policies, and she doesn't need help around the house other than what I can provide by going to see her two or three times a week. Since we live near each other, that's not a problem. The problem is she leaks urine. She doesn't leak constantly, but she does smell most of the time even though she showers. I've told her that she should try some pads, but she refuses, saying that she doesn't need them. Why will she agree to use oxygen but then feel insu...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 26, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs

Getting Over the Guilt of Placing a Loved One in a Home
Photo credit Alexander Dummer If we could control events, most of us would never want our elders to be so sick that they need the care of a nursing home, especially homes that are still operating in the dark ages, as some of them still are. Many homes have now moved forward into person-centered care, and reluctant caregivers often find their elders thrive, once they have adjusted. Still, it's hard. For many caregivers, placing an elder in a home spells failure on the part of the caregiver. Even when carers know they've done all they can, a subconscious nagging voice often tells them they are giving up on their parents or...
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 25, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs

Giving language to empathy: lessons from palliative care
The value of empathy in medicine is seldom debated. Just as the art of medicine is taught as the balance of knowledge and application, so has empathy been recognized as both a value to be fostered and a skill to be learned. Medical curricula have reflected this, and while didactics are increasingly filled with various Read more… Giving language to empathy: lessons from palliative care originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 21, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Conditions Palliative Care Source Type: blogs

Respecting Elders' Dignity May Require Accepting Risk
Discussions with Elders about HousingConfused About Palliative Care Vs. Hospice Care? You Aren’t AloneExercise May Help Prevent Alzheimer's: Study Shows Why  (Source: Minding Our Elders)
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 19, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs

Confused About Palliative Care Vs. Hospice Care? You Aren ’t Alone
Discussions with Elders about HousingCalming a Person with Dementia Begins with Joining Their World  (Source: Minding Our Elders)
Source: Minding Our Elders - October 18, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs

Next of kin in the medical decision making process
Four years ago, as chairman of the hospital ethics committee, I was asked to convene an emergency meeting brought by a distraught family as medical decisions had to be made for their ill loved one. The hospital, HMO lawyers, the family, three adult children, and their mother were at the meeting. The father had arrived Read more… Next of kin in the medical decision making process originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 14, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Palliative Care Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs

The elephant in the room: end-of-life discussion with patients
I have been at my current hospital for 12-plus years now. Like many of you, I have gotten to know some of my patients very well. I have known some of them since I first started out here. We talk about my dogs and cows, our newest grandkids, and politics if we feel adventurous. This Read more… The elephant in the room: end-of-life discussion with patients originally appeared in KevinMD.com. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - September 26, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Palliative Care Primary Care Source Type: blogs

Weekly Overseas Health IT Links –24th September, 2022.
This article makes the case and explains what will be required to make it happen.We hear a lot about “digital health” these days. As data about our health piles up — thanks to sources like electronic health records, personal fitness apps and gadgets, and home genome test kits — weshould understand a lot more than we used to about what ’s wrong with our health and what to do about it. But having a lot of data is not enough. We have to be aware of what we have, understand what it means, and act on that understanding. While the challenges are in some ways more acute in the United States because of its fragmented sys...
Source: Australian Health Information Technology - September 24, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Dr David G More MB PhD Source Type: blogs