Get Adobe Flash player

Author Archive

Reflections During Holy Week

April 5, 2013 | Author
Almost every year I tell myself that this will be the year that I create a series of visual images in response to the Stations of the Cross. Sometimes I am lucky enough to make a drawing. This year, I thought that I could write an essay for this column. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Humanities, Religion, Religion Religious, Spirituality, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Trail of Tears

March 2, 2013 | Author
When I encountered the word journey in hospice, I thought of a spiritual journey. As I discuss dying with patients and families, I realize that they are referring to the physical process of dying. Discussions include questions and comments like the following: “Is she dying?” “They told us that he was dying. We travelled home. He didn’t die.” Families reference hospice brochures regarding physiologic changes that occur. Often, there were not discussions of the changes associated with medical interventions. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Death, Dying, Life's like that! | Comments Closed

The Quilt

January 3, 2013 | Author
My homepage at work announced that December is AID’s Awareness Month. I thought about this during several drizzly December evening commutes. The view of AIDS is that is a chronic relapsing illness. We have travelled far from the days when we didn’t have a clue of what the disease was. Patients were even denied care. I remember being ridiculed at a meeting for commenting on the risk to children. The drizzling rain took me back to the mid 1990’s when I saw the Quilt in Washington DC. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Death, Humanities | Comments Closed

“Drizzly November”

November 28, 2012 | Author
While cleaning out the desk drawers, I found a page with scattered words: DRIZZLY NOVEMBER….SOUL….MELVILLE….GRIEF I looked up “drizzly November” and found a passage from Moby Dick by Melville. I never finished reading the book or watching the movie. The passage in Moby Dick apparently refers to a feeling of grief experienced by the character. He goes to sea to resolve the emotion. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Closed

Autumn as a Metaphor for Palliative Care

October 21, 2012 | Author
Driving home I notice the changes in the leaves. One day they are green and the next there is a hint of yellow-orange. A few more days and there is orange, yellow, red, and every combination of these. Autumn is a beautiful and sad time. There is beauty in the variety of colors of color that we see. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Celebration, Death, Dying, Grief, Spirituality | 1 Comment »

Healing the Healer: Art As A Healing Practice

September 16, 2012 | Author
Making art allows us to evaluate and interpret the environment and the self. I lead workshops to assist people in trying their hand at mark making. Sometimes we have an object to draw. Sometimes the person starts with a word or phrase. The use of words can focus the artist on an abstract idea like happiness, grief, or forgiveness, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Culture, Spirituality | Comments Closed

Summer Storms, Summer Myths

August 21, 2012 | Author
Almost 20 years ago, a family member died in August. The funeral ritual was interrupted by thunder, lightening, and pouring rain. We thought of the storm as a declaration of arrival. Perhaps even a celebration. The next year there was a thunder storm on the same day. Family and friends phoned each other to comment on the coincidence and to reminisce. The next year it happened yet again. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Art of healing, Dying, Holistic healing, Psycho-social, Reflective practice, Religion, Ritual, Self care | Comments Closed

“Why palliative care? Why now?” by JPM Columnist Rita Marie Moscola

July 21, 2012 | Author
I wonder what in our medical journeys led us to Hospice. Are we the physicians who remember feeling that something was missing? Are we the physicians with an interest in ethics and existentialism? Or, is it that we are at the age when friends and family are dying? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Reflective practice | 2 Comments »

Dedication

June 9, 2012 | Author

Thank you for this year long opportunity to be a member of the panel.
It was an introduction to Social Media and a learning experience.
I want to dedicate my experience to life long friends who dies this during this time.
Wonderful people who worked for social justice.

Posted in Celebration, Global | 1 Comment »

Dying

June 1, 2012 | Author

Most of us have read On Death and Dying at some point in our training.
We learned about the different stages. The stages will occur at different times for different people. Some people may not experience all 5 stages (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, accepting).
How does being certified and recertified for hospice care effect the experience of these stages? I am seeing people who are confused by the concept of being on hospice yet are doing well. Does beginning hospice early make it easier or harder to go through these stages? Does one begin to think that s/he is not going to die? How is a decline in health viewed?

Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Hospice

June 1, 2012 | Author

I have been reading about the history of hospice.
I wonder what Vincent de Paul, Mary Aikenhead, Cicely Saunders other “pioneers” of caring for the dying would think of our current hospice and palliative care approach.
Would they see it as a move in the same direction that they were going?
Would they see it as something different?

Posted in Death, Dying | 1 Comment »

Memorial Day

May 31, 2012 | Author
.......the song was inspired by The Book of Ecclesiastes. ...A time to die... We seem to have forgotten. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Art of healing, Grief, National Holidays | Comments Closed

Memorial Day: Flowers from yesteryears

May 31, 2012 | Author
A woman from the American Legion was sitting in front of the post office selling tissue paper flowers. I placed a donation in the box and picked a flower. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Art of healing, Coping, Grief, Holistic healing, National Holidays | Comments Closed

Be Still

December 2, 2011 | Author
I would like to share some of the art I created during training as a way of reflection and self care . Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Art of healing, Geriatrics, Humanistic medicine, Reflective practice, Self care | 3 Comments »

Reference site for bioethics issues about care of Catholic patients and families

December 2, 2011 | Author
I found it intersting that even this site comments that the burden imposed by any intervention on the individual must be considered. It also comments on stewardship and resource allocation Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Bioethics, Education, Health economics, Religion Religious, Spirituality | Comments Closed
Can We Talk?
Watch and share this five minute video about the need for prophylactic end-of-life conversations. Laura Heldebrand, an ICU nurse tells her mother's story.
High Traffic Alert !
Your JPM blog is a high traffic site. We have 1406 subscribers. In August 2012, we had 140,372 hits (this number is excluding bots and spider traffic)! Many thanks to you all for your love and support of your Journal of Palliative Medicine.
Get Involved: Build Your JPM Network
Please become an active member and a local leader of the JPM Social Media community. Ask your friends and trainees to sign up for the free, full-text JPM blog posts.

Do email us now and take a hand in shaping your favorite palliative care journal, be it as a user, a local chapter advocate or panelist. We are waiting to hear from you.
Subscribe Free: JPM Updates
Subscribe via RSS Subscribe via Email
JPM Community Chatter
Powered by Disqus
Follow this JPM Blog
Archives
  • ▼2013
  • ▶2012
  • ▶2011
Join our large global community. Together, we can work to advance the care of seriously ill patients and their families.