Author Archives: dgermann

About dgermann

Elder Caring Lawyer

Caring is about…

Posted on March 19, 2012 by dgermann

Caring is about heart. :- 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.

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

Let’s help our family think together about ways to live more fully as family. Nursing homes are not storage bins; long-term care is not all or even mostly about money and disease: these are places people live, and we can … Continue reading →

Posted in Caring, Conversation, Family, Healing and Wholeness, Long-Term Care and nursing homes | Leave a comment

You’re the same age

Posted on March 16, 2012 by dgermann

You’re the same age as your friends going into nursing homes. You know things about them, what they like, jokes they get, what you and they lived through: things their kids—another generation—could never understand. Share those things. Love does. :- … Continue reading →

Posted in Healing and Wholeness | Leave a comment

Deeper with Alzheimer’s

Posted on March 15, 2012 by dgermann

How do we get to the deeper with a elder, say in an Alzheimer’s setting? What do they love, what did they love, what would make them more comfortable? Brandy on the gums, a grandchild’s hug, a song to sing, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring, Conversation, Eldering, Family, Healing and Wholeness, Long-Term Care and nursing homes | Leave a comment

Know any elders doing amazing things?

Posted on March 14, 2012 by dgermann

Hi– Do you know any elders doing amazing things? For instance, look at Glen Campbell, still singing professionally even though he has Alzheimer’s. If you know personally anybody doing amazing things, we’d like to share about them here–tell us their … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Dreams, Eldering | Leave a comment

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

Each death informs us so

Posted on March 13, 2012 by dgermann

Each death informs us so Life is a many plaited thing No prior answer is good for now :- Doug.

Posted in Conversation, Death and living while dying, Poetry | Leave a comment

Play in late stages

Posted on March 12, 2012 by dgermann

Friend Bernie DeKoven has this wonderful post about play and Alzheimer’s folks: http://www.deepfun.com/fun/2012/03/play-in-late-stages/ You will be glad you took a look…. :- Doug.

Posted in Caring, Family, Healing and Wholeness, Long-Term Care and nursing homes | 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

bigger work for doctor, lawyer

Posted on March 11, 2012 by dgermann

There is a bigger work for the doctor here. And for the lawyer. Beyond being a good technician. You in your role and I in mine can meet people and support them in what has meaning for them. We can … Continue reading →

Posted in Conversation, Death and living while dying, Eldering, Family, Healing and Wholeness | Leave a comment

Much bigger than medical treatment

Posted on March 10, 2012 by dgermann

The end of life conversation is much bigger than medical treatment. It has to do with coming together and with people doing the work of dying and with people doing the work of living. The medical has to do with … Continue reading →

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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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Your last 3 days?

Posted on March 8, 2012 by dgermann

How would you like to live at the end of life? Your last 3 days? :- Doug.

Posted in Caring, Conversation, Death and living while dying, Eldering, Family, Healing and Wholeness | Leave a comment

Two end of life conversations:

Posted on March 7, 2012 by dgermann

There are two end of life conversations. One is the kind of conversation we have at various times while we are thinking of our end of life: do this for me, avoid doing that if you can. The second is … Continue reading →

Posted in Caring, Conversation, Death and living while dying, Eldering, Family, Healing and Wholeness | Leave a comment

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