I know you’ve heard the phrase, “Too close for comfort.” In most cases, when we use it, we’re describing a near miss with some kind of danger—an automobile accident, a misstep coming down stairs or onto a curb, a potential mistake that might have been embarrassing, costly,
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Many of us reveled at the sight of our brilliant sun disappearing behind a dark orb of moon last month as an historic solar eclipse traveled across our entire country. My son, Will, sent me the accompanying photograph from Nashville, TN where the eclipse was total. The
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As I celebrate another birthday, my head is full of tales. Birthdays provide an annual impetus to reflect on the past while simultaneously setting goals for the future. Gene D. Cohen, a pioneer in geriatric mental health and aging research, would say I’m entering the “summing
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In the late stages of Alzheimer’s Dementia, patients lose their ability to eat independently. Appetite declines, swallowing becomes difficult, and coordinated use of hands is lost. As brain function continues to shut down, mental and physical functions progressively disappear. By the time the ability to eat is
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Death, like birth, is a natural event, and like birth, it is often a messy event. Despite this truth, there’s a conundrum in modern medicine. Folks lucky enough to have full access to comprehensive medical care can face a paradoxical dilemma as they near the end of
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Thornton Wilder wrote, “Even memory is not necessary for love. There is a land of the living and a land of the dead, and the bridge is love, the only survival, the only meaning.” My Dad died by degrees. Similar to many patients with Alzheimer’s Dementia, his
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“Sunset and evening star, And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea” Alfred Lord Tennyson In early 19th century Europe, hospice was a rest house for travelers. Today,
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“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” —William Shakespeare Many people equate the term “Palliative Care” with giving up on life, or at least with end of life care. To be sure, skillful and humane end of life care utilizes palliative care, but it’s
Read more →“I’m trying to die correctly, but it’s very difficult you know” (Lawrence Durrell 1988) Although the concept of a right to die has intrigued philosophers since the time of the Greeks, only in modern times has it become a widespread social concern. There is a strong push
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(Latin: doceō, I teach) I learned in medical school that the word, doctor, comes from the Latin word for teacher. I hold that thought closely... read more
These are articles I wrote while in private practice in the early 2000’s. These many years later, I still have folks who ask for links, so I’ve kept them active... read more
