Can you and your loved ones answer these questions? 1. On a scale of 1 to 5, where do you fall on this continuum: 1 = Let me die without medical intervention; 5 = Don’t give up on me no matter what, try any proven and unproven intervention possible. 2. If there were a choice, […]
shared decision making
Project management for caregivers
I am a caregiver. I help coordinate the health and home care for an elder loved one who, for the purposes of maintaining a bit of anonymity, I will call “M.” He is a healthy, happy octogenarian. We have known each other for nearly 40 years, but we are not related by blood. I am […]
“What drugs is mom on?”
Here are quotes from two excellent essays about being an empowered caregiver. First, from Muriel Gillick, MD: In those care planning meetings in the nursing home, if they ask nothing else, family members should ask “what drugs is mom on?” And that should be followed by “why is she on them?” and “are they helping?” […]
Chicken soup for decision-makers
Half of all health searches in the U.S. are done on behalf of someone else. That’s been a core finding of the Pew Research Center’s health portfolio since 2000. We have called information the new chicken soup of the digital age, brought to the bedside by people who want to help. Now, in the social […]
Taking care (what I’m reading)
The following articles stopped me in my tracks this week, not least because they relate to my last report, “Family Caregivers are Wired for Health.” Please share what you’re reading — or your thoughts about these articles — in the comments. 1. Dementiaville: How an experimental new town is taking the elderly back to their happier […]
The Kojo Nnamdi Show
I love call-in radio shows, listening to them and (dream come true) being a guest on them.* Listeners never fail to amaze me with their insights and ideas. Today I was on the Kojo Nnamdi Show’s Tech Tuesday with Rahul Parikh, MD, to discuss “Dot Com v. MD: Health Advice & Resources Online.” We filled […]
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