Communication

"The doctors said he had a poor prognosis.  That was basically it."   "They said he isn't doing well.  So I guess we'll have to wait and...

"I just saw the doctor, and the doctor didn't say anything."   As a adult child, sibling, or best friend of someone you can see is not...

“I don’t think Mom should drive anymore.  I tell her, but she doesn’t listen to me!”   When I used to conduct palliative care home visits...

When it comes to knowing what to say or what to do with a friend or acquaintance who is deeply grieving loss, I would probably feel just...

How would you feel if you entered a restaurant expecting quality service and attention...and then you experienced the following? Hostess:...

“I couldn’t believe the surgeon was so upset! The patient was 80 years old, he was frail, and he didn’t want major surgery. He just...

Let me tell you a story a palliative care leader once told her audience to make a point. “Three days ago, my mom went to the same...

A “sliding doors moment” is a seemingly inconsequential moment that ultimately changes the trajectory of future events in a dramatic...

At least a couple times a year, I sit with a new patient who is undergoing surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy and who turns still...

I hear doctors comment that their colleagues feel like they have failed in the face of impending death of one of their patients (though I...