relationships

beatitudes nursing home …

… provides individualized care to persons with dementia based on their need. A recent NYT article tells the story. “The dementia floor was named Vermillion Cliffs, after colorfully layered rock formations formed by centuries of erosion, implying that, “although weathered, although tested by dementia, people are beautiful” and “have certain strengths,” said Peggy Mullan, the

beatitudes nursing home … Read More »

community and our experience of dying …

… “We are story-telling animals. Some of our most important shared stories are in the form of metaphor, parable, and poetry. We communicate through imagination and intuition as much as reason and cognition. And we can find and communicate certain realities only indirectly, not directly. Some kinds of knowledge can be sought only by setting

community and our experience of dying … Read More »

vulnerability & presence on letterman …

… John Waters’ describes an “extraordinary moment” between Michael Douglas and David Letterman. “You don’t sound like you have throat cancer,” Letterman said. “Because,” replied Douglas, “I’m on stage.” But at the end of the interview there occurred an extraordinary moment. Letterman asked Douglas if there was anything, he, Letterman, could do. It did not

vulnerability & presence on letterman … Read More »

jean vanier on the care of vulnerable people …

… Jean Vanier recently addressed the Canadian Parliament’s Committee on Palliative Care. ” … we are all vulnerable people. Each one of us is important, especially the weakest among us. In our vulnerability we are easily hurt¸ and we have elaborate systems of self protection which keep us from being open with each other. We

jean vanier on the care of vulnerable people … Read More »

close together … but otherwise desperately remote …

… Vaclav Havel opens the “Forum 2000” conference … Much of what he says has direct applicability to health care, health care reform & palliative care … “I sense behind all of this not only a globally spreading short-sightedness, but also the swollen self-consciousness of this civilisation, whose basic attributes include the supercilious idea that

close together … but otherwise desperately remote … Read More »