hospice

Share your tips for better “Beside Manner:” Life Before Death Film 30

Tips for better “bedside manner.” Leave your white coat at the door (if you can’t get by without it altogether). Say hello. Introduce yourself. Sit down Eye contact. Interact with patient as a person (OK some small talk: food, weather, family photo). Spend time Turn your pager/cell phone to vibrate Ignore your pager for a … Continue reading →

Nurses, you can’t do without them! Life before Death Film 29

Nurses, where to start? My mother was a hospice nurse and my sister a peds nurse. I met my wife  when she was nursing in a home of the dying. Our eldest is now studying nursing in Brisbane, Australia. Nurses have taught me so much of what is important in caring for people near the … Continue reading →

AIDS at 30: Personal reflections of a Palliative Care physician

Perhaps it is my age or the increasing grey in my hair, but I realized last week that HIV has been around since I was a medical student! That realization caused me to reflect on those 30 years and my experiences with HIV/AIDs. 1. The first person with HIV that I saw in Adelaide in … Continue reading →

Meditating Mushrooms: a role for contemplation in Palliative Care?