This past Tuesday was the annual National Healthcare Decisions Day when patients are encouraged “to express their wishes regarding healthcare and for providers and facilities to respect those wishes, whatever they may be.” To be clear, this is not about getting people to agree to a Do Not Resuscitate order or agreeing to limit their … Read moreShould Failure to Follow Preferences be a Medical Error?
The Annual Assembly is over. The boxes have returned from New Orleans and we have put all the items back on the shelves. Today, we had our “Post Con” meeting and talked about the specifics: what went right and where we can make improvements for next year’s Assembly. The staff shared some interesting facts: • … Read moreAfter the Annual Assembly
“I’m sitting on a prop plane that smells like ranch dressing.” I texted my brother on the way home from #hpm13. His reply? “Hold your nose and hope for the best.” Little did I know that I was the kind soul who provided the fifty seater with the odiferous presence of ranch dressing. The bottle … Read moreHospice, Hashtags, and Hot Sauce
In opening the Easter service in my church yesterday, the pastor reminded the congregation that Easter is centrally about turning from death to new life. He pointed out that this is not only about what we, as Christians, believe God did for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus in overcoming death, but a … Read moreTurning Death into New Life- An Easter Tale
The Annual Assembly, like baseball season, comes and goes quickly. However, the planning is ongoing and takes a year. Prior to the Annual Assembly, there is much discussion past assemblies – the good, the bad, and the mediocre. The opening day of the Annual Assembly for AAHPM and HPNA – is always exciting. Okay, perhaps … Read moreBehind the Scenes of the Annual Assembly
Much is properly made these days of the role of spiritual care in palliative and hospice care and the lead role that professional chaplains need to play in that domain of care. Many palliative care teams and professional chaplains have risen to this challenge. The newly released version of the NCP Guidelines makes that standard … Read moreA Chaplain Reflects on the AAHPM Conference
Everyone knows that I look forward to the AAHPM & HPNA Annual Assembly the way a child eagerly awaits Christmas. There are so many things happening at any given time that there is never a dull moment. I’m also very lucky because I think that we have the most compassionate, enthusiastic and wonderful attendees. When … Read moreAnother Amazing Assembly
by Larry Beresford On February 21 AAHPM, on behalf of its members and the specialty of hospice and palliative medicine, joined with 15 other medical societies to introduce Round Two of Choosing Wisely, a major national health care quality initiative sponsored by the ABIM Foundation. In a health care system undergoing rapid reforms, serious turmoil … Read moreHospice and Palliative Medicine Commit to ‘Choosing Wisely’
At one of the workshops this morning, a speaker made the statement that chaplains were using scripted and particularized spiritual assessment “tools” that may project the chaplain’s assumptions and block the particular expression of the patient’s spirituality. When I sought to correct that assertion during the Q&A, I was told by one of the speakers … Read moreSpiritual Assessment Tools
This is my second AAHPM-HPNA conference and I have gravitated to the Wounded Healer talk both years. The care and treatments we provide to our patients and loved ones, can take a toll on us as providers. But as Henri Nouwen states our woundedness we can become a source of life for others. I provide … Read moreA Quiet Place and Labyrinth Room 215