Continuing with the series on Preparing for End of Life, I wanted to share the documents you should collect and store in a safe place that can be retrieved when needed. In Part One, I addressed some of the financial information you should gather so that those you ask...
We prepare for vacations, meetings for our jobs, and other areas in our lives, so why don’t we prepare for our death? We are all going to die – that is a fact. We don’t know the day or the hour, but we all know that someday, our lives will end. Look around your...
It’s that time of the year again! Summer is the best for reading. I have been doing my Summer Reading List since 2015. Each year, it gets better and better because of the people who contribute. This year, I am excited to share the list with you as we have several new...
I received an email from my professional Organization, the Case Management Society of America, asking all of us to take action and call our US Senators to ask them to vote NO as they review the Big Beautiful Bill. As you might be aware, the U.S. House of...
This week, I will be in Dallas, Texas, at the Case Management Society of America’s Annual Conference. This year will be especially significant as it marks the 35th Anniversary of the Case Management Society of America, highlighting the critical role case...
Welcome to the 2025 Professional Reading List. I create this list each year to share books and e-letters that help me stay informed about the latest developments in the healthcare industry. I hope you will check out each resource and add them to your daily email...
As the Administration works on the budget in DC, we all need to realize that we have a sick healthcare system that focuses on illness vs. wellness. Health spending in the United States increased by 7.5% in 2023 to $4.9 trillion, or $14,570 per capita. Economists tell...
As we recognize Memorial Day, I wanted to share this post. Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, is a day to honor members of the military who were killed in service, both during deployments overseas or in training and service in the U.S. Across the...
For the past several years, I have written two lists: the Professional Reading List and the Summer Reading List. I do this by reaching out to readers and asking for their suggestions. So you understand what I am looking for, here is a link to the 2024 Professional...
In reading some of the writings from St. Francis after his death, I found an essay he wrote when he was a patient in the hospital a few weeks ago for pneumonia. It rang true for me as a patient. I remember realizing that when we are sick or injured, we go to the...
In this post, I am introducing my latest special report. This is an updated version of ‘Stepping Up to Certification’ that I have shared for the past five years, in hopes of helping professionals find the certification that is right for their care goals. I...
Over the past few weeks, I have been working with a patient who has been in the ICU on a ventilator due to respiratory failure for over 30 days. I was asked to get involved as the family was getting frustrated as they did not know what was happening despite the mother...
I have started watching a new show, The Pitt, which is streaming on MAX. The show’s premise is to raise awareness by highlighting issues that the Emergency Department team face as part of their job. The setting is a level one inner-city Trauma Center in...
I recently saw the quote from Andrew Weil in the image above on a friend’s Facebook page. It reminded me that so many people must stay with a doctor, a hospital, or another healthcare provider with whom they think they cannot ask questions or communicate their...
Being in the hospital alone and not knowing what is happening is scary and stressful. Patients and families need information to know they are not forgotten, especially when the healthcare team doesn’t know what is happening. As healthcare professionals, we know...
In this week’s post, I wanted to write about International Women’s Month, as I was unfamiliar with it, and I had seen a lot of coverage over the past few weeks in the news and on social media. So, what is International Women’s Month (IWD)? IWD is a month dedicated to...
While scrolling through my email early Monday morning, I noticed one that said “congratulations.” The email said my Blog, Nurses Advocates, had been selected by a panelist as one of the Top 80 Nursing Blogs on the web! I am listed as number 33 on the list....
Yesterday, I received mail I had not expected. As I opened the package, I found a signed copy of a new book a fellow Patient Advocate colleague wrote with her husband, “It’s Agape Love: The Spirit of Champions.” The book is designed to be a transformative experience...
