Category Archives: Emergency/Crisis Medical

This matters

Posted on March 20, 2012 by dgermann

End of Life Matters. :- Doug.

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Defining physician failure & success

Posted on March 18, 2012 by dgermann

There are physician practices who define failure as not having gotten patients on hospice in the last month of life. What’s good and not about that? :- Doug.

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Video: family overriding your wishes

Posted on March 14, 2012 by dgermann

Here is a 12-minute video showing what can happen if your family does not understand your health care wishes: When family overrides your wishes: video and article. What do you think? What would you want done? If you were the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conversation, Emergency/Crisis Medical | Leave a comment

Things to consider with my family:

Posted on March 14, 2012 by dgermann

Things to consider with my family: • Whom do I have to hug? Whom do I have to call? Take a break now and call them. Tell them you love them; tell them you want to talk about these things … Continue reading →

Posted in Conversation, Death and living while dying, Emergency/Crisis Medical, Family, Healing and Wholeness | Leave a comment

Fear not the doctors

Posted on March 12, 2012 by dgermann

Fear not the doctors Nor yet at them be angry Even, too, lawyers They are trying to do good To bring what’s needed They too hampered by our culture Turning treatment into care And care into money As if money … Continue reading →

Posted in Caring, Death and living while dying, Eldering, Emergency/Crisis Medical | Leave a comment

Healthcare as easily changed as….

Posted on March 9, 2012 by dgermann

Seems to me that the word “care” has been taken over by the marketing people and the politicians, so that it now has a commercial character to it. My guess is that the doctors and nurses practicing in the 1950s … Continue reading →

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How I want to live before I die

Posted on March 6, 2012 by dgermann

Here is how I want to live before I die. And if I want to live this way, shall we now? :- Doug.

Posted in Death and living while dying, Dreams, Emergency/Crisis Medical, Family, Healing and Wholeness | Leave a comment

Betrayed by the doctor?

Posted on March 4, 2012 by dgermann

We feel betrayed by the doctor when we are told there is no more to be done to hold back the disease. But our anger stems not from the doctor, rather our culture which tells us we can buy our … Continue reading →

Posted in Caring, Death and living while dying, Emergency/Crisis Medical, Family, Healing and Wholeness | Leave a comment

I fell into a hole

Posted on January 29, 2012 by dgermann

I fell into a hole For a project & on a mission To get some wrenches Striding through the door My forward motion —Turned straight down Surprise, lost, unknowing Words insufficiently strong For my disorientation My world, my purpose—disappeared Scraping … Continue reading →

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Doctors may become mere technicians

Posted on January 22, 2012 by dgermann

I’m hearing from my elder clients’ children that they cannot get a time to talk with the doctor about what is going on with their parent, what the prognosis might be, and what the best course of treatment ought to … Continue reading →

Posted in Emergency/Crisis Medical, Healing and Wholeness, Long-Term Care and nursing homes | 4 Comments

Elders, doctors and consults

Posted on January 21, 2012 by dgermann

A few days ago I learned that doctors are in some settings expected to see 40 patients a day. What’s the math on 40 patients in a day? Today I spoke with a couple of therapists about getting the doctor … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Emergency/Crisis Medical, Healing and Wholeness, Long-Term Care and nursing homes | Leave a comment

Our whole work

Posted on January 15, 2012 by dgermann

Our whole work is conversing, engaging, encountering, meeting: our whole work is bringing us to whole, our whole work is whole-making, whole-realizing. Our whole work is conversing. :- Doug.

Posted in Aging, Caring, Death and living while dying, Dreams, Eldering, Emergency/Crisis Medical, Estates: Administration & Probate, Family, Grieving, Healing and Wholeness, Long-Term Care and nursing homes, Powers of Attorney, Trusts and Trusting, Wills | Leave a comment

New tool: What’s your prognosis?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by dgermann

Friends– GeriPal.org has posted a combination electronic tool for doctors and other clinicians to use to get an idea about how long you or Mom or Dad might live, given your health and a number of other factors. You might … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring, Death and living while dying, Emergency/Crisis Medical, Healing and Wholeness | Leave a comment

Surgeons confused by Living Wills: Study

Posted on December 22, 2011 by dgermann

Friends– Here is an article from the Annals of Surgery which headlines that Surgeons don’t discuss end of life care, especially when they are performing risky procedures: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/16/us-directives-idUSTRE7BF0F720111216 (More details are available here: http://www.surgery.wisc.edu/research/publication/1341 ) But if you read more … Continue reading →

Posted in Conversation, Death and living while dying, Emergency/Crisis Medical, Healing and Wholeness, Powers of Attorney | Leave a comment

Conversing about emergency medical decisions = loving

Posted on December 21, 2011 by dgermann

To have the conversation about emergency medical decisions is a loving thing to do—for them and for you. It makes their soul-searching easier when they are deciding for you, it allows them to know they are doing the last most … Continue reading →

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Prognosis: if you knew….

Posted on December 12, 2011 by dgermann

Friends– “For an 85 year old patient, with a life expectancy of six years, a frank discussion of prognosis might result in “a significant reordering of health priorities,” said Alexander K. Smith. “For example, maintaining mobility, putting financial affairs in … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring, Conversation, Death and living while dying, Emergency/Crisis Medical, Healing and Wholeness, News | Leave a comment

Video: Imagine you can’t speak….

Posted on December 5, 2011 by dgermann

Hi friends– Here is an excellent video from National Healthcare Decisions Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Bar0qZTUGdw#! :- Doug.

Posted in Emergency/Crisis Medical | Leave a comment