[Dr. H's Clipboard] Wintertime Reflections

Published: Thu, 12/14/17



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Wintertime Reflections
Nora had been experiencing horrific side pain from a recurrence of shingles. At age 93, she was debilitated and moved from her lifelong home to a skilled nursing facility.  She appeared to be deteriorating, so her nephew Tom (Nora's healthcare proxy) thought it was best to have her transported to the ER and determine if there were any reversible causes. Was she dehydrated? Did she have a urinary infection?

The emergency staff descended on Nora like vultures, slapping a blood pressure cuff on her arm, sticking her with needles, and asking more questions than she could answer. It was like awakening from a dream state and living in a nightmare. Nora was given the impression that something was wrong with her, and she had to get better. Nora wasn’t buying it, but she acquiesced to her nephew’s wishes.

Nora received IV fluids and had a catheter inserted to obtain urine. Her laboratory studies confirmed that she was dehydrated, and her urinalysis and chest x-ray were negative for any infection. Nora was cleared to return to her skilled nursing facility for continued pain management.  Nora was dumbfounded by all the fuss being made about her health, and she wondered why she couldn’t be left alone. 

Winter is the perfect time for caregivers to reflect upon the lives of their loved ones and what matters most to them. These five images will give you solace for a long winter’s nap:

 
Resource Article

WHEN OPTION B IS OPTION A


If Option A is grieving indefinitely, "Option B" is a book that offers a different approach and perspective. It provides three lessons for how to move beyond grieving. Most people cannot fathom getting over the loss of a loved one until they open up their hearts broadly.

There is an impermanence and continuity to living, loving and grieving as appreciated by the lyrics of "The Rose:"

Some say grief it is a river, that drowns the tender reed.
Some say grief it is a razor, that leaves your soul to bleed.
Some say grief, it is a hunger, an endless aching need.
I say grief, it is a flower, and you, its only seed.

By using your heart’s ability to trust, to acknowledge and to let go of grief, "the rose" demonstrates that love never dies.  

 
Hear Dr. H
February 7, 2018
8am - 2:00pm
The 4 Seasons to Caregiving Symposium
Del Webb Medical Center – Auditoriums A & B
14502 W Meeker Blvd.
Sun City West, AZ 85375

 
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON SOON

Is Palliative Care Right For YOU?
by Kevin J. Haselhorst, MD

 
The key to making medical decisions
is understanding palliative care:
Palliative Care
is the
bridge between
advance care
and end-of-life care.


When you no longer have your health,
how will you spend your time and money?


Is quality of life more important than
staying alive at any cost?


This booklet will teach you:
  • What palliative care means in practical terms
  • The value of making your own medical decisions
  • How to gain peace of mind with chronic illness
Command respect during your next
doctor visit by saying,
"I receive palliative care."


Learn more at KevinHaselhorst.com


 
Kevin's World

MUSIC THERAPY: A FIELD OF BUTTERFLIES

Attending the Brookdale community Butterfly Release at the Margaret T. Hance Park to honor loved one’s who passes this year made me appreciate and recognize a different perspective on music therapy. Music, like a butterfly, is not fleeting. It hovers in the landscape and exists as everlasting and evergreen. It can lift the heart, prompting children to rise from their seat and start chasing butterflies spontaneously. Inevitably, one song will tap us on the shoulder, like a butterfly landing there, triggering an everlasting memory of a loved one.

The angelic voices of music therapists Mary and Ellie singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow" at the ceremony offered this proposition:  "Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me." Duh! I tend to look at the clouds on the horizon and often forget that many of my dreams have come true. It dawned on me that the clouds were far behind me when I acknowledged my dad as my hero five years before he died. The butterfly landing on the woman’s shoulder reminded me that dad was the "Wind Beneath My Wings."
 
 
Tributes & Wishes
#TributeTuesday
Share a tribute to a loved one who has died, or to mark the anniversary of their death.

From December 12th: #TributeTuesday: I'm in awe of death doulas who help patients navigate the "birthing" process at the end of life from a scary experience to a sacred moment.



#WishfulWednesday
Have a wish for the weekend? Post your plan on Wednesday. Practice expressing end-of-life wishes during the prime of life

From December 6th: #WishfulWednesday: Plan to not be one of those "givers" who takes care of others and neglects to take care of him/herself.

 
How to Approach Living While Dying

Living While Dying

Please support this film that makes “living while dying” easier for everyone to engage.

Help spread the word about
this Generosity fundraiser!


UPDATE

Immense Possibilities is a weekly public TV
and internet series that featured an interview with Cathy Zheutlin about Living While Dying

Watch the interview: (10 minutes)
Watch on Vimeo 


Cathy needs to raise more money for the music, the sound mix and the color corrections.  

Please help get the word out to others you think
might want to back this project!  


Only have time for 24 seconds? 

As Cathy explores the reality of her loved ones facing death, she turns the camera around and looks at herself.

How will she approach living while dying?

The end result of the film is to have viewers ponder and pick their own rite of passage.