Language Matters: What is the Difference Between Hospice and Palliative Care?
As a certified hospice and palliative care nurse, nothing “trips my trigger” like hearing “So and so has decided to stop medical treatment and instead receive comfort care.” While the phrase sounds kind and compassionate, it misleads the public about the important skill set that hospice and palliative care clinicians possess to alleviate troubling symptoms at end of life. It also implies that a person has to make a choice between expert symptom management in advanced illness (physical, psychological, social, and spiritual) or life-extending therapies...
June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Health Awareness Month.
To make a healthcare-related decision, a person must be able to UNDERSTAND (take in information), DELIBERATE (process information taken in), and COMMUNICATE (articulate conclusion/choice based on understanding and deliberating).
Advance Care Planning is not just for the sick, elderly, and frail.
In an effort to bring light to the importance of advance care planning (ACP) in this age group, in the past 6 months, we have educated over 500 college-age students!
Mental Illness at the End of Life Conference
Making Choices Michigan is teaming up with LaughFest for their special Laughter Rx Series
Destigmatizing Mental Health Advance Directives
Treating the whole person requires understanding that attending to the psychiatric needs of the patient are just as important as attending to their physical needs.
A Resolution for Peace of Mind
The new year abounds with resolutions and goals for healthier eating, more exercise, and enhanced well being. Many of us will take the plunge and finally move forward with tasks that we've been procrastinating about, like having an advance care planning conversation!
Event Recap: What Happens When You Die?
Grand Valley State University's Kaufman Interfaith Institute and MCM co-hosted an interfaith dialogue on the theological underpinnings of the meaning of death.
Let's Talk Turkey!
While starting the conversation can be a bit intimidating, it does not need to be scary. Here are some resources to help you get started!
What happens when you Die?
Join us for a two-night interfaith dialogue on the theological underpinnings of the meaning of death
We've Got a New Look!
Designating someone as a legal funeral representative can ensure that your burial preferences are honored and remove some unnecessary anxiety.