Social Workers Take Another Step Forward
August 30, 2012 | 
Author
“Is social work a profession?” was the question boldly posed by Abraham Flexner, the American researcher and critic of professional education, to the attendees of the 1915 National Conference of Charities and Correction. His answer was no, social work is not a profession. Flexner observed that social work was too generalist and lacked a “high degree of specialized competency Read the rest of this entry »
The Care Plan After Death
On a number of occasions, I have sat bedside with an actively dying client that was more anxious about how their spouse, children, and or significant other will navigate the world without their presence. After taking time to explore the source of the anxiety, I realized that all of the attention to the client’s signs and symptoms were barely scratching the surface of the emotional pain associated with dying. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Advocacy, Art of healing, Caregiver, Death, Dying, Family, Humanistic medicine, Reflective practice | 
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Can We Talk? Helping our loved ones express their end-of-life wishes
Crucial end-of-life conversations which should ideally occur in a non-crisis time in the comfort of our homes unfortunately happen during a time of medical crisis in the chaos of the hospital.
When we are in crisis mode, we tend to “go with the medical flow”. As the current healthcare default is heavily slanted towards initiating medical technology without much deep thought about the benefits and burdens of such treatment, many patients are subjected to ineffective, burdensome treatments and interventions that may not be congruent with their goals of care. Read the rest of this entry »
Out of Africa: JPM Correspondent from Africa on Palliative Care in Nigeria
Ogun State Nigeria's goal "Provide quality and timely clinical and other support services to patients and clients at a reasonable cost within its jurisdiction. “In doing so, we shall adopt a multidisciplinary team approach for the provision of prompt, excellent and cost effective Health care services in Ogun state" Read the rest of this entry »
Summer Storms, Summer Myths
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
Social Media is Now!
Recently I have noticed more postings to departed loved ones on their anniversaries of passing. It appears to be a novel way of professing out loud one’s grief and love for family or friends who have passed on. Read the rest of this entry »
For Maria
Stand for a moment where I’m standing now.
Me here, thumbing a chart.
My face to a window, a window looking in on a room in the ICU.
And me all at once, looking to the window, into the room, to the patient beyond, thinking, yes, Maria, I do know you. I do know you, Maria. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Art of healing, Communication, Culture, Death, Dying, Reflective practice | Comments Closed
Tell me what miracle means. by JPM Columnist Seema Nagpal, MD
Tell me what miracle means.
From the first appointment I have with them, many patients tell me they are looking for a miracle. That they believe they will be in the tiny percent of patients who are long-term survivors of glioblastoma, one of the most deadly brain cancers. Or that their brain metastases from metastatic lung cancer will disappear. Read the rest of this entry »
The Show’s Over
"The show's over," he had muttered several times.
Whether he knew it or not, he was telling her it was time. Maybe it’s just that simple, though we usually don’t allow it to be so. Read the rest of this entry »
The fine line between son-in-law and doctor-in-law: by Nicky Quinlan, JPM Fellow-in-Training Columnist
Daisy is 68. In the past few years, she has experienced life with a neurological condition causing progressive functional decline, pain, visual impairment and other indignities. Surprisingly to me, she cut a rug into the wee hours at my sister’s wedding in Ireland recently. Other days, she sleeps a whole lot and needs much assistance with mobility and ADLs from her loving, dedicated spouse, Abe.
Her spirit remains strong, however.
Daisy is also my mother-in-law. Read the rest of this entry »
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