Medical Terminology
Every health condition comes with its own language, medical terminology and decision options. End of Life is no different. While CPR and DNR may be familiar to many, that doesn’t mean they are understood as intended.
New ‘terms’ such as Allow Natural Death or AND and Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking or VSED have been created to add to options to consider. Understanding the words and terms used is one thing. Being able to act on them is another.
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...
Alzheimer’s Caregiver, Daughter-in-law
Tina's story of Alzheimer's: love and understanding I was fortunate enough to walk through a journey of Alzheimer’s by my father-in-law’s side. Together we mastered the mysteries, the fears and the utter atrocity that the disease brings and we also discovered a deep...
