… “In [Mozart’s] last letter written to his dying father, dated April 4, 1787, he wrote, speaking precisely of the final stage of life on earth: “For about a year I have become so familiar with this sincere and greatly loved friend of man, [death], that its image no longer holds anything that is terrifying, […]
great, dramatic and serene meditation on death … Read More »
… Rutecki discusses the recent literature (also here) and reminds us that “it’s about time and touch as well. Human intimacy is not reimbursable, it transcends dollars and cents, and we cannot be said to care at all without it.”
the dignity of hand feeding those with dementia … Read More »
Discussing the many psychological and spiritual maladies of our times, John Waters suggests the root problem may lie in our failure to recognize our utter dependence … “The desire to impose order on the universe and to become unsettled at our inevitable failure to do so may be ultimately a symptom of the expression in
autonomy … control … unhinged? Read More »
Video portraits of elderly Americans living in a variety of circumstances – from Columbia School of Journalism. New Old Age blog summarizes. NYT link.
oh yeah? what’s a real logger look like? Read More »
… Nuala O’Faolain’s interview with Marian Finucane – on her experience after being diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer … a transcript. Her friend Nell McCafferty describes the interview as “listening to the cry of an animal in the forest.” “It amazed me, Marian, how quickly life turned black, immediately almost. For example, I lived somewhere
the essence of this experience is alone-ness … Read More »
… we swim in a culture of autonomy … independence … But is this what we are in our deepest selves? Lynch discusses … from his book Images of Hope: Imagination as Healer of the Hopeless. It is the secret fear of most people that they cannot have both dependence and independence, just as it
In Memory of Jane Fraser When snow like sheep lay in the fold And wind went begging at each door, And the far hills were blue with cold, And a cloud shroud lay on the moor, She kept the siege. And every day We watched her brooding over death Like a strong bird above its
in memory of jane fraser … Read More »
… is getting a lot of press … the NEJM article and editorial. … NYT … WSJ … Diane Rehm show with Diane Meier, Atul Gawande and the study authors. Alex Smith and GeriPal summarize … Tim Cousounis with an excellent summary … providing balance and caution … scroll down for Weissman’s warning of “over-interpretation” and
nejm study … palliative care in lung cancer … Read More »
… “Why do we make potentially inefficacious therapies the default and require patients to opt out to avoid them?” … asks Brauner in a JAGS editorial accompanying an article on comfort feeding. “By creating an alternative treatment order—comfort feeding only (CFO)—Palecek and colleagues1 have taken an important step toward improving the care of persons with
default medicine … Read More »
“Convalescence” by Luigi Nono … “The formal structure of this painting closely recalls Munch’s “The sick child” (So close and yet so far. JMP 2003;1 (2):39), although the sickness of the child is perceived in a deeply different way. While Munch’s painting is dominated by an anguished desperation, here we find the image of a
