I’m writing this in November, which is National Caregiver Month. It’s also Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. But regardless of when you’re reading this, if you’re a caregiver, every month is “caregiver month.” Ironi…
Category: Palliative care
Uncovering the truth behind my father’s tragic end
I was the “stranger” at my father’s bedside. Shortly after his 84th birthday, my father fell and landed in the hospital with a split scalp. His metastatic prostate cancer was an incidental finding, and superimposing this wildly invasi…
Embracing life’s purpose in the face of inevitable death
“I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it.” – Epictetus I wish more people knew that quote during the pandemic. I write this on November 1st, celebrated as Dia de Muertos or “Day of the Dead.” Epicte…
Intensive caring: Reminding patients they matter
Dame Cicely Saunders, the founder of the modern hospice movement and palliative care, famously said, “You matter because you are you, and you matter to the last moment of your life.” This quote has become the central philosophical tenet of …
Exploring psychedelic therapies [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join Thaís Salles Araujo, an internal medicine resident. Discover the potential benefits, challenges, and the need for greater awareness and education in integrating these therapies into mo…
The power of listening in palliative care consultations
Finishing up a consultation in the ICU, the nurses approached me to see how it went. “Did you get the DNR?” I explained that I enter these conversations without an agenda. My first goal is to develop rapport, reading the room to gauge how f…
Open conversations about end-of-life care
An excerpt from The Adventures of Dr. Anonymous. During the COVID pandemic, I wished I could put out a public service announcement for physicians, patients, and families about end-of-life care. Palliative care is critical to hospitalist practice and on…
End-of-life ethics and antibiotic use [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join Althea Halchuck, a patient advocate. We explore critical insights into end-of-life care, the ethical considerations around antibiotic use, and the quest for a peaceful, dignified death…
Empathy and compassion in palliative care [PODCAST]
Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! Join Vickie Leff and Terry Altilio, both palliative care social workers, as we delve into their book, Mirrors and Windows: Reflections on the Journey in Serious Illness Practice, which offe…
Dying is a selfish business
An excerpt from A Caregiver’s Love Story. Whether you are the dying or the caregiver, living life to the fullest remains your goal, but somedays it’s just too darn hard. When you are so busy that it doesn’t seem you have time to take …
