Category: Palliative care

End-of-life choices: Why Medicare needs to change [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! End-of-life care is a crucial and often overlooked aspect of health care. In this episode, we speak with Kevin Haselhorst, an emergency physician and author who shares his insights on the c…

The power of communication in palliative care: How words can heal and instill hope

Effective communication has the potential to promote understanding, safety, and connection. It is the foundation of high-quality health care. Our use of language to heal is important in all facets of medicine, but words may be even more powerful when p…

The slippery slope of legal assisted suicide and euthanasia

We began with terminally ill patients, but the slippery slope is alive and well, smothered in oil. The Western world is increasingly advocating for the advancement of legal euthanasia, and this is a huge mistake. In their quest, advocates for legally a…

What being a hospice volunteer taught me about health care [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “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 aut…

Learn to earn end-of-life respect

Pele, the famous Brazilian soccer star, reportedly stopped medical treatment for colon cancer. Media outlets stated he was receiving various iterations of comfort, hospice, and palliative care which were perceived as criminal and disrespectful. His dau…

What’s the sense of having a living will if it’s not honored?

‘This victory ensures that advance planning documents are legally enforceable and will be respected by doctors; if they are not, individuals can hold providers accountable for violating their health care decisions.” – Greenberg decisi…

Can Medicare advance directives be simple?

Consider Medicare enrollment with the end in mind. In case of emergency, do seniors prefer medical care or holistic care? Might they designate a medical power of attorney or a merciful power of attorney? Do they oblige CPR or sign a DNR order? The JAMA…

Who’s holding space for you?

The first time I saw someone die was when I volunteered in the ER as an undergraduate student. That day I was helping in the trauma bay, and my job was to quickly run STAT or urgent blood specimens to the lab. The year was 1994. It was winter time, and…

What anticipatory grief feels like [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! “I experienced many deaths when I was a nurse, from babies, kids, young adults, the elderly, and my own family. It was always heartbreaking, but I found that staying with the dying an…

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 essen…