Online Memorials
March 15, 2013 | 
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There is little question that the internet has changed our lives in North America and many other places in the world. I can hardly remember how I used to get accomplished some of the tasks that I do online before the days of the internet.
The internet has also influenced palliative care. People diagnosed with illnesses and their families seek out information and can obtain it in ways that were not always so readily available to everyone. The accuracy of the information is always a concern to care providers but the availability of reliable sources has increased along with the general understanding of how to assess that reliability. Read the rest of this entry »
A Very Interesting Conversation
The other day I had a very interesting conversation with a woman I know. It concerned a man who had died suddenly: he lost consciousness with a cardiac event and died a few hours later, never having awoken. The woman referred to this as a ‘beautiful death’. When I commented that I thought it might be more difficult for the family and friends that surround the deceased than an anticipated death, my companion replied that it was the ideal death for the person dying. This made me reflect on palliative care and my own thoughts and wishes. Read the rest of this entry »
“Enlighten us, but make it quick”
I have been getting behind in my blogging this fall. It has been a busy time. One of the extra things I took on that added to my load (although it was supposed to be fun!) was an Ignite talk about palliative care. Read the rest of this entry »
Another Lesson in Post-traumatic Growth
Almost everyone would agree that there is stress and even trauma involved for parents when a child is diagnosed and lives with a life-limiting illness. Not everyone knows, however, that for some parents there are some positive outcomes and processes involved. What even fewer people realize is that when there are positive aspects, it does not take away the stress. Read the rest of this entry »
“Posttraumatic Growth: A Personal Example” by JPM Columnist Susan Cadell
In the mid-90s, I was experiencing more grief and loss than I could have ever imagined. It was the height of the AIDS epidemic in Canada, and many of my friends were dying. As a young straight woman with numerous gay male friends, I was impacted by HIV/AIDS more than most of the people around me. Read the rest of this entry »
Language: Be careful in your choice of words!
I recently retweeted a request from @Freshwidow to have people not use the phrase “lost her battle”. The phrase was being used in relation to a woman living with cancer, @whymommy, who had died that day. @Freshwidow went on to say that dying was not about @whymommy’s weakness or failure. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Art of healing, Communication, HIV and AIDS, Social Work | 
Tags: Bereavement | 
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A Visit to St. Christopher’s Hospice
I knew that Dame Cecily Saunders had an unusual interprofessional training to begin the work that she did. I did not know until I spent time at St. Christopher’s, however, that she conceived of hospice work as being equal parts practice, research and education. Read the rest of this entry »
Of Pilgrims and Palliative Care
I am away on vacation in Spain while writing this and I love to walk. I was recently on a long walk with friends and family during which I had lots of time to think. The walk just happened to be part of the large network of paths that form the pilgrimage routes of Santiago de Compostela.... Read the rest of this entry »
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