Great article about a doctor and his sister.  Learning from grief that was her own, he was able to utilize that emotion as empathy for others.  Pastoral Thanatology, Grief Counseling and other care giving modalities are all founded on empathy and the ability to utilize it.  Please also review also review our program and see if it matches your professional needs.

The article, “Grief as My Guide: How My Sister Made Me a Better Doctor” by Joseph Stern states. 

“As I left the room, Meghan thanked me and said this was the first doctor’s appointment she had had in a long time where she didn’t cry. I never used to cry when speaking with patients. I would gird myself, push forward, distract myself with new and pressing problems to fix; I focused on technical, rather than human, matters. Now, I told Meghan that I would cry for us both. My sister was present in that room, in the patient sitting before me and in the way I was newly able to comfort and reassure her.”

To read the entire article, please click here

This article shows that sometimes the best way to under empathy is to experience it literally yourself.  Doctors can be caring and involved.  They can learn better patient skills through various Pastoral Thanatology Programs, as well as Grief Counseling Programs.  Please review AIHCP’s programs in both Grief Counseling and Pastoral Thanatology

Good article on how more Americans are learning of the luxury and peace of dying at home if possible over the sterile environment of dying in the hospital. Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program 

The article, Fewer Americans are spending their final days in the hospital and more are dying at home, by Melissa Healy states,

That’s the upshot of a new study that finds that seniors insured by Medicare who died in 2015 were less likely to do so in a hospital and more likely to pass away in a home or other community setting than those who died in 2000.”

Good article on end of life decisions and the importance of good Hospice type care toward the end.  Many people wait to the very end to discuss or to utilize the care to prevent unnecessary suffering and discomfort

The article, Shedding New Light On Hospice Care: No Need To Wait For The ‘Brink Of Death’, by Judith Graham states

“A few weeks ago, Kathy Brandt’s 86-year-old mother was hospitalized in Florida after a fall. After rushing to her side, Brandt asked for a consult with a palliative care nurse.

“I wanted someone to make sure my mother was on the right medications,” Brandt said.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program

Dying well seems contradictory but it is true that since death is unavoidable that we must learn how to die gracefully and also in a dignified way.  Palliative care, as well as hospice can help those who are lucky enough to be in the position to experience it, but some individuals do not die as comfortably as they could, at least from a physical experience.  Albeit, some people depending on the nature of their death cannot, there are many who undergo many unnecessary troubles before death

The article, How to Die Well, by Jessica Nutik Zitter states

“I first met Stephanie in the Intensive Care Unit. She was an urgent admission — in shock, her blood pressure was almost unmeasurable. Over the previous month, the rate of cancerous fluid building up around her lungs had increased.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program.

Good article about the importance of end of life care as not only a service but an important ingredient for better life.  Qualify of life includes dignity in dying and end of life care can help others die with respect, comfort and the necessary care

The article ,Palliative Care is Vital for Improved Quality of Life, by Barbara Jones states,

“In a recent CNN debate about health care, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz claimed people confronted with life-threatening diseases who receive palliative care services were “essentially doped up with some drugs” and told “well, now is your time to go.”

We find these statements absurdly misrepresentative of the goals of palliative care.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Pastoral Thanatology Program