Articles & Stories

Many patients with serious illness experience shortness of breath, a symptom that health care professionals call “dyspnea.” Dyspnea can be very frightening to patients and their families. There are literally hundreds of reasons why someone may feel short-of-breath, some more serious than others. The most common causes are due to a problem in the lungs such as pneumonia, bronchitis or emphysema. But problems in other organs including the heart, kidneys or liver can also lead to the sensation that it is hard to breathe. Examples of other common problems that can lead to shortness of breath include anxiety, panic attacks, anemia and even constipation. … Read More

Pain can enter your life for various reasons. Perhaps you have had pain for brief periods due to surgery or an accident – or maybe your pain is more chronic in nature, due to back problems, diabetes or arthritis. … Read More

The Intensive Care Unit can be an intimidating place for families and loved ones. If your loved one is in the ICU, ask for a family meeting. The team will meet with your family to discuss the condition and care of your loved one. … Read More

Many patients facing serious illness suffer from extremely distressing symptoms. Sometimes the only way to provide relief is through sedation. Learn answers to some of the most basic and commonly asked questions.

Q: What is Palliative Sedation?

A: Palliative sedation is a way to minimize pain in seriously ill patients that cannot be relieved in any other way. An infusion of a sedating drug is provided to a point where the person appears to be comfortable and the distressing symptoms are relieved. … Read More

Quality of life issues are getting such focus in medicine these days that it’s easy to assume things were always this way. They weren’t. Patient-centered care was uncommon in most hospital settings even a decade ago.  In the final part of my interview with Dr. Diane Meier, we talk further about the role of palliative care in medicine both now and in the future.
… Read More

The mere mention of “Morphine” can be enough to conjure up all sorts of negative thoughts in patients and their family members. Some people may be afraid of becoming a drug addict while others may think that only people who are ready to die should take Morphine. Doctors, too, can be afraid of using Morphine (and similar drugs), largely due to misinformation and lack of training. … Read More

The term Quality of Life is often used at a time when patients, families and health care professionals are trying to understand the impact of a serious illness. … Read More

What if you suffered a traumatic head injury or a heart attack and ended up in a hospital intensive care unit with little hope of regaining your former way of life or even the ability to communicate with your loved ones? What kind of medical treatments would you choose for yourself? Would you want aggressive medical intervention?

Obviously, these are situations most people would rather not contemplate while they are healthy. And yet a number of high-profile legal cases have recently arisen from such circumstances. These ethical conflicts and controversies of end-of-life care underscore how difficult it can be for families and medical professionals to make life-and-death decisions for people who are no longer physically able to speak for themselves. … Read More

When Helen’s mother had a stroke in 1994, Helen became her caregiver. Working full-time as a teacher and living an hour’s drive from her mother, each visit takes at least half a day.

Fortunately, Helen’s mom’s stroke left few physical side effects, so she was able to remain independent for awhile. Even so, she still needed someone to help her be more attentive to her blood pressure and the rest of her medical care. … Read More

Does someone you love have a serious illness? If so, you are one of the millions of Americans caring for a sick family member. You may be just checking in and picking up the groceries, or you may be taking care of your loved one around the clock. It’s never easy. Palliative care can help. … Read More