by KathyKastner | Feb 16, 2016 | Blog, Kathy Kastner
What happens when patients want to talk about death, but their doctors don’t? My 94 year-old father-in-law was relieved and delighted when I brought forth the subject of medical directions, in the event he couldn’t speak for himself. My brother in law – a paramedic –...
by KathyKastner | Dec 19, 2015 | Blog, Kathy Kastner
In this fast-forward world, it can seem that grief should have a ‘best before’ date. It can be uncomfortable – for those grieving and those around. Grief can also be exhausting and stressful and relentless. Considering few of us are spared the knife-cut that comes...
by KathyKastner | Oct 14, 2015 | Blog, Kathy Kastner
Who’d’ve thought that simple, one and two-syllable words – which is one of the the criteria for Grade 6 reading level – could cause so much confusion, upset and medication errors. Out of context, even every-day words can confound. Consider these (true) examples: In a...
by KathyKastner | Sep 2, 2015 | Blog, Kathy Kastner
Impromptu End of Life conversation captured on video It started out as an experiment: there was a new video camera, an excuse to get together with a good friend who ‘does the lighting’ for movies and commercials. He makes everything look beautiful. And why...
by KathyKastner | Aug 23, 2015 | Blog, Kathy Kastner
Which came first: hospitals or patients? Although filled to the brim with patients, hospitals were created to support doctors, not us patients. Historically, their organizational structure focused on doctors’ needs and doctors’ requirements. The concept of centering...
by KathyKastner | Jul 25, 2015 | Blog, Inspiration, Kathy Kastner
With Mary Ito, host of FreshAir: celebrating after our interview on CBC Radio about what this ‘layman’ brings to conversations about end of life Click to listen: 11 minutes...
