Culture, Traditions and Being Remembered
There are as many end of life rituals as their are cultures. Each intended to ease through the dying process and to help those left behind to move on, while celebrating a life lived, and honouring memories.
For some memories are triggered by a treasured momento: a piece of jewellery, a hand-knitted blanket. For many, it’s photographs, special occasion cards, scrapbooks. For some, it’s a project worked on together for a shared experience to remember: creating a puzzle together or – using available technology – iphone video conversation. Virtual experiences offer more options: a Facebook memorial page, a shared photo library.
Medical jargon: even single-syllable words can confound
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...
Grief and Grieving: death, dying and beyond
Grief and grieving: in life and death For each of us, our Book of Life has many chapters on grief and grieving, covering a broad spectrum: I can still conjure the pang of loss when my youngest went to Kindergarten; the sense of betrayal caused by the end of a...
As we age, do we become too thin-skinned?
In a word: Yep. Our skin thins and gets dry Thin, dry skin often gets itchy. And that can lead to a mess of problems. Hence, the expression: thin-skinned. Perhaps not as talked about as the other issues of aging, but should be – considering how much skin we have. Dr...
Multiple Medications: too many for too many of us
By age 65, two thirds of us are taking 5 or more prescription medications a day so reports the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Not included in that total is the number of times a day meds are taken. And it doesn’t include whatever non-prescription...
