End of Life

Elder love

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Elder love I lost one of my two mothers-in-law last Monday, five weeks after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We had expected Audrey to reach 100 years of age, like her mother, but she died shortly after her 91st birthday, having spent her 90th year … Read more

The “last day” protocol

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: The “last day” protocol I waited outside the room until the rehab therapists finished talking to Jim, who’d been admitted to the nursing home the night before. I read over the basic info on his face sheet before my consult. Jim was an 87-year old widower … Read more

Dr. El’s work mentioned on “Last Comforts” blog

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I’m pleased to report a nice mention of my work on the blog of journalist Ellen Rand, author of Last Comforts: Notes from the Forefront of Late Life Care. Last Comforts, the book and the blog, focus on improving ways of managing late-life care.  Below is an excerpt of her blog post. The rest can … Read more

Full code: Discussing advance directives

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Full code: Discussing advance directives Assistance in creating a “good death” is a fundamental task of any organization working with elders and may be addressed by a number of team members singly or in combination. Since these discussions are often easier said than done, I thought … Read more

Are Families Ready For The Death And Dying Conversation?

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Aging advocate Carol Marak interviewed a group of eldercare experts (including me) regarding their experiences discussing death and dying with elders and their families. Her Huffington Post piece on the topic, excerpted below, suggests that yes, families — and many healthcare providers — are ready to have these important and necessary conversations. Are Families Ready … Read more

The secret to LTC success? A focus on well-being

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: The secret to LTC success? A focus on well-being Despite the diversity of the events I attended during my brief visit to the LeadingAge convention in Boston last week, a theme clearly emerged. The thread that ran through the varied offerings was well-being. Retaining staff In … Read more

Addressing the healthcare needs of “unrepresented” elders

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In Paula Span’s column today in the New York Times’ New Old Age column, Near the End, It’s Best to Be ‘Friended’, she discusses the increasingly common situation of elders who have no representatives assigned to make healthcare decisions on their behalf. She encourages seniors to dig deep into their social networks to find an appropriate candidate to … Read more

Creating Better Deaths in Long-Term Care

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Creating Better Deaths in Long-Term Care I walked into Mr. Hobart’s room, ready for my initial evaluation. He was a thin, graying man whose loose clothes hung in folds around him. He’d spent every day last week in chemo. He spoke quietly, discussing his estrangement from … Read more

How to Talk About Dying (Ellen Goodman, NYTimes)

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Here’s an important article in the New York Times Opinionator Column by Ellen Goodman, one of the founders of The Conversation Project (which I’m about to investigate further). Note her comment that she expected her mother’s doctors to tell her what to do. The families of our residents are expecting the same from us. How to Talk … Read more

Dialysis: Gauging its need, and how to reduce its stress

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Here’s my latest article on McKnight’s Long-Term Care News: Dialysis: Gauging its need, and how to reduce its stress As a psychologist observing the effects of medical interventions on the mental health of the long-term care resident, I often ask, “Is this aggressive procedure helping?” Such a well-intended question can prompt the team to reconsider … Read more