Social media is increasingly disparaged, not least for its time-wasting capacities. In addition, it has fuelled a dramatic decrease in face-to-face communication, with more people forgetting the difference between the real and virtual world. However one cannot deny the vast positive change social media has bestowed, the ability to connect and communicate with people from [...]
In July of 2013, NPR Weekend Edition host Scott Simon began tweeting from the ICU of a Chicago hospital. For the next week, as he watched his mother’s condition worsen until her eventual passing, he shared everything from interactions with ICU nurses to his mother’s wisecracks and life lessons with his thousands of Twitter followers. [...]
Being Mortal Dying is an inevitable part of life. In the manner that we celebrate and discuss the process of birth, why we can’t discuss the process of death? Even for medical professionals, who have seen people going through the process of dying more than anyone else, they are not completely comfortable talking about it [...]
Is your decision well informed? Living kidney donations save many lives every year. It can be best described as the donation of a kidney from a healthy person, made of his or her own free will. Donating an organ gives you a sense of accomplishment, as you were able to save another person’s life. You [...]
Society’s rules and expectations of behavior by family caregivers can seem quite onerous. A caregiver is anticipated to be a selfless individual who keeps the needs of the patient above everyone else’s, including his or her own needs. He/she looks after physical, medical, emotional, psychological, financial and legal needs. He is thought to be an [...]
Social media present both new opportunities as well as challenges for the medical profession. With the increasingly rapid adoption of new technology, the way people communicate complaints and also the way these grievances are handled has changed significantly in the last few years. Patients and families increasingly prefer to use social media to share their [...]
We all have, probably more than once, visited hospitals and diagnostic centers, and I am sure, most of us experienced some level of anxiety. The most anxious moments can be while waiting for test results. This anxiety of the dreaded unknown is often significantly modified by how these results were communicated to us, better or [...]
Sympathy Vs. Empathy As a nephrologist, I have witnessed numerous patient-clinician encounters and heard even more from kidney patients during their clinic or dialysis visits. A recent conversation with one of my patients, who has a kidney disease, brought to light how she felt by the reactions and comments of her friends and relatives. [...]
The Importance of Resilience and Social Support Dialysis initiation is often associated with emotional distress, involving both patients and their families. Many aspects of these dynamic changes can be appreciated by evaluating different quality of life (QOL) parameters. […]
What effect does it have on an emotional connection between a Physician and his patient? Healthcare is very often impacted and enhanced by the adoption of new technologies. Clinical practice is increasingly dependent on technology, which has significantly improved the way patients are treated for their illness, resulting in better outcomes. But has it also [...]
The Iceberg- Marion Coutts This book is a compelling and moving day-to-day account of the physical and emotional impact of a close family member becoming terminally ill. The writer has beautifully constructed a moving narrative, baring all her emotions and thoughts over a three-year journey as her husband dies with incurable cancer. […]
Do you ever consider the unthinkable? What thoughts and emotions would cross your mind if you know that your life partner was terminally ill? How would you imagine the minutes and the hours of the day passing? […]
The role of the caregiver can be quite onerous, supporting and advocating for a loved one without pause. These activities can become very tiring, without necessarily receiving the reciprocal support which would refuel an individual. As well, there may be feelings of guilt in being the healthy one, with no room for voiced complaints. This [...]
Informal caregivers refer to friends and family who provide support to individuals that are unable to function independently. There are at least 8.1 million Canadians providing care to family and friends with long term health conditions, disabilities or aging needs. These informal caregivers account for over $25 billion in unpaid labor to the health care [...]
Living day-to-day with dialysis creates a “new normal”, coloured by intense experiences of isolation, depression, and anger. Angela L. Davis started on thrice weekly hemodialysis in January 2008. In her eloquent post, Ms. Davis discusses her struggles with isolation brought on by the loss of friends and the body changes associated with illness. She also [...]
