The Word climbs up slowly out of the silence in the child, and the words of old men and women are slow, too, as they•return to the silence that is the end of life. Like a burden that has grown too heavy the word falls out of the mouth of the old, more down into […]
the silence of death … Read More »
Imperative 1 To serve selflessly our dying brothers and sisters who come into our care. Whatever material success we doctors have achieved is not of our own design. Society has valued our services and agreed to compensate us well for our efforts on its behalf. Have we lived up to our end of the bargain?
selfless service … Read More »
Imperative 2 To meet the real needs of the dying. What dying patients need first and foremost is a safe environment. They need to know that our care for them is not contingent upon something they do or do not do. They need to know that we care about them as persons worthy of dignity
safe … accompany … presence … Read More »
The artist as a young woman turns her face toward the viewer and surprises us with her lively eyes, which make her appear to be responding to a call. Her right eye, different in color and without a pupil, suggests the words of M0digliani: “Because with one eye you see the world outside, and with
a reality of profound tension … Read More »
Imperative 3 To guide but never lead. We have great knowledge and must use it wisely. We are called by the dying to be their guides through this final passage. It is the height of arrogance to believe we can somehow lead them through the end of life, step-by-step. We are simply to be guides
to guide … to accompany … Read More »
Rebecca Skloot is a science writer, and to sample the critical acclaim for her first book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, you would conclude that her book is all science—that and bioethics and the not-insubstantial question, In the billion-dollar industry that is biomedical research, who owns our cells? With a subplot about race relations thrown in
lives transformed by the desire for truth … Read More »
… when their loved one is seriously ill … assure their loved one is receiving high quality care provide appropriate information adequate time to share perspectives and concerns accurate information about prognosis empathic communication and support trust anticipatory grief and bereavement from Billing’s End of Life Family Meeting Part I: Indications, Outcomes, and Family Needs
Imperative 4 To be honest. Nothing can shatter a relationship more quickly and more completely than dishonesty. To be sure, we do not hit people over the head with the truth they are not prepared to hear. That would be cruel. We must rigorously avoid a self-serving deflection of crucial issues and truths in order
honest, gentle and kind … Read More »
How do you manage everything? How can you be one person in the face of all of your achievements and goals, being a manager and a mother and running your father’s foundation? You gave the answer: being one. I am not different when I am here, or when I am a mother, when I am
approaching reality with humility … Read More »
… cor ad cor loquitur … listen with your heart … pdf file outlines fundamental approach to communicating serious news … slides • Start with the patient’s agenda • Track both the emotional and cognitive • Stay with the patient and move the conversation forward one step at a time • Articulate empathy explicitly • Talk about what you
listen with your heart … Read More »
