“It’s not personal. It’s just business.” Is healthcare a business? Should it be a business? These are serious existential questions that need to be answered as palliative care works to…
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Victor Frankel’s book Man’s Search for Meaning outlines his experiences in the holocaust, the loss of his family and all that was precious to him, and his continued search and…
Over the weekend one of our hospice patients had been brought to the Emergency Department when his temperature was 101. His work-up had revealed WBC’s in his urine and he…
The University of Colorado’s Palliative Care Coursera Specialization launched about a month ago and people all over the world are starting to find their way to the course. I wanted…
“Take My Breath Away” was written specifically for the movie Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis. The movie was a hit but the song has lived on with…
No One wants to die. This is usually followed by some “inspiring” pabulum; such as the Steve Job quote from his 2003 Stanford graduation address: “Death is very likely the single…
I was part of a team of palliative care providers that developed and later worked in the Safe Harbor Palliative Care Unit at the VA Medical Center in Birmingham Alabama. …
I always talk to my Lyft driver. Recently, I was attending a conference in another city so I was taking a Lyft a couple of times a day. As usual…
To Take or Not to Take. That is the question. Should I take this pill or not? In the last few weeks I stopped taking a baby aspirin. I started…
Recently, we have been caring for a homeless veteran. We call him Mr. J; we have been trying to help him which, at times, seems impossible. Over time we have…