United Arab Emirates Want to Top the World in Happiness,
Too - NYTimes.com
??? Minister of Happiness?
Diane Rehm writes raw memoir of widowhood
George Washington U. Stops Accepting Donated Cadavers After Losing Track of Body Identities – The Ticker - Blogs - The Chronicle of Higher Education
Essay about the author's friend's death
(you might not be able to access this...)
Access to Palliative Care - NYTimes.com
What Does a Parrot Know About PTSD? - NYTimes.com
I thought this would be interesting to think about human nature, particularly about suffering and healing. Also about the qualities that make us human -- what connects us but what sets us apart from non-human animals?
This is a very interesting article that really makes the reader see birds in a new light. What connects us to them is there cognitive ability. The article focused around Love, a Veteran who volunteered her time at a bird sanctuary. She was able to heal from her PTSD with the help of the birds. She was able to learn the birds were no different than we are. The birds had come from abusers and abandonment. They suffered the same syptoms that humans suffering from PTSD have. It is amazing to see how mental illness truly affects the living, not just humans. The brain works in amazing ways and it is interesting to see that birds have the brain compacity to interpret suffering as us humans do. Love learned from the birds that suffering can be overcome. And she found that working with the animals and trying to give them a new and better life than they were given helped her. Similar to us, the birds were able to heal from this experience as well.The article really brought out the idea of the birds eyes. It talked about how they are pure and when you are looking into them you can see how the bird truly feels and that the bird knows how you are feeling as well. This is a strong link that shows similarities between humans and non-human animals. It makes us human to feel suffering and to feel guilt. They are human qualities. Love's experience with the birds showed her that these are not just human qualities but also a quality of non-human animals. There was healing for both species. We were able to see from the article that because there are similarities between the humans and the birds that there are similar healing processes.
ReplyDeleteThis article was such an interesting read! It was also very sad to hear how some of these animals were treated so poorly. I feel like animals are the best kind of therapy. I know that if I am having a bad day all my two dogs have to do is look at me and I know that they understand. The unending affection is what all humans desire and need badly.
ReplyDeleteI found this article quite interesting to read. It focused on how a veteran struggled for years with PTSD but was able to treat it with the help of parrots. It was amazing to see that animals can truly help someone that is suffering. The parrots connected with Love because they showed similar symptoms of PTSD that she was going through and it allowed them to have a unique bond in the way that they were both helping each other overcome their own problems. So they were able to connect that way. But what sets people apart from non-human animals is that the non-human animals don't deal with the same situations and life experiences that we go through as humans in that aspect.
ReplyDeleteI found this article a good read. I think it is great that there is a place like Serenity park that veterans can go to help with their PTSD. I also really like that there is a park to house birds like this. It is truly amazing the connection and impact animals can make with us, I find it interesting the bonds that can be created. I feel bad for the parrots that got treated poorly, that makes me a little upset but its so great that they have a loving place to heal just like humans.
ReplyDeleteThe essay about the authors friends death was very moving. It was moving to see that she knew she had cancer and when the person didn't know what to say she said It for them. To see the views of what the doctors had to say and how hard it is for the patient to hear it was interesting. When the author said they had 13 months to say goodbye but when she died, they weren't expecting that and it was just as painful struck me. I have always thought that somehow having time to say goodbye would help lessen the blow a bit but it seemed to be just as hard and shocking even with all that time before hand. That leads me to question if one could ever have enough time to say goodbye or ever truly be ready to lose someone? I don't think anyone could ever be ready and the pain will always be tremendous. Reading this made me realize having time to say goodbye is just as shocking when they die then if it were a surprise.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about the woman dying of Breast cancer. This story is all to familiar from the story of my aunt. Being in health care this article struck me hard. How should I Comfort someone in this situation, how do I react to them. What do I say to their family?
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine what it's like to have been given a diagnosis that is terminal. I know as a nurse there will be difficult situations to address and concerning issues to prepare for. I can only give non judgmental care in the best possible way, listening to what they have to say, keeping an open mind, use my knowledge to benefit my patients as much as possible and I hope that I get the chance to take care of them and make them as comfortable and happy as I can.
I agree with you completely I can't imagine telling someone that they have a terminal illness. I remember when my cousin was diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma and the doctor telling us that there was nothing more that they could do for her except to keep her comfortable. I can't imagine having to tell someone that. In the last days they did as they promised and kept her comfortable and it was just nice knowing that they really cared about her and wanted to make sure she wasn't in pain.
DeleteI read this article too and thought it was very interesting too. I could kind of relate to it, I have a very close family friend who has breast cancer. I know her telling her family and friends was hard on her and all of us. I could imagine being on the other side of this.
DeleteI just read the article about how George Washington University is stopped accepting donated cadavers after losing tract of body identities. I think the whole situation is very sad especially for the families that were unable to get the ashes of their loved ones. I think that they University made the right decision to let the manager of the program go because that was very irresponsible and now the families won't get to have their loved ones ashes. It is hard to believe that something like this could happen.
ReplyDeleteAccess to Palliative Care:
ReplyDeleteIt is evident to me that the principles practiced by Hospice and similar programs are an invaluable addition to any patient care plan. Whether recovery or comfort is the goal, special attention to pain management, professionals who employ compassion as part of their routine, and providing support in the home are all ideal qualities of patient care. By invoking traditional Hospice care, sometimes options for improvement of health fade away as the focus becomes centered on comfort care. Broader access to palliative care and treatment by general practitioners or medical specialists as long as the patient/Pt family desires is an ideal scenario.
This is a nice perspective to see in reference to this article. I have no experience with Hospice programs but it is good to see a first-hand count that Hospice is an invaluable addition to a care plan as the article suggests. I was thinking more from a business perspective asking, "how do we pay for this?" The article, while brief gives suggestions for both the business and medical perspectives.
DeleteI read the article about George Wash U. How can you lose the identity of a cadaver...? You have been privileged enough to receive a donor body so you should have the respect to keep track and adequate records for the person. On top of all that, the family can't get the ashes after the body is done being used for scientific purposes. How would you feel in that situation? I'm sure the family is heart broken, since they were assured to have the body of their loved ones after its use. Can they sue the school? could be an interesting case...
ReplyDeleteI just read the article about George Washington University. I think it is insane that they lost the identity of cadavers, it is ridiculous. A person donates their body for learning, and they lost their identity instead of respecting them. If I was in that situation and I couldn't get my family members ashes back I would be completely devastated so I really feel bad for those families. I am glad that the person who was in charge of that information got let go.
ReplyDeleteI also read this article and agree, the fact that this happened I think is very ridiculous!
DeleteI just read the article pertaining to palliative care becoming easier to access and the default option for individuals who are battling an advanced form of cancer. I agree that palliative care should be easier to access for patients with advanced cancer and there should be established federal payment and referral palliative care consultants. By doing this, patients will have the opportunity to receive treatment while remaining with their loved ones at home which I would imagine is more comfortable than living in a hospital.
ReplyDeleteI just read the article about Diane Rehm who lost her husband and wrote a memoir of being a widow. Her husband had Parkinsons disease, which rendered him completely disabled and dependent. He then chose the route of straving for a 10 day death when the doctor told him he could not have the suicide drug. I found it very sad that there is a drug that can put someone out of suffering, and the doctor did not prescribe it which led to a death of starvation for ten days, which must of been so hard for him. I think it is a little ridiculous to watch someone suffer for ten days to die, when there was a drug to put him out of his misery, suffer free. She then asks questions about what she was to do when he was gone, she mentioned a point when she reluctantly decided it was time to take space on his side of the bed. That really hit me, it must be so hard to lose someone so close, that you were so used to sleeping with every night. This article was touching.
ReplyDeleteI just read the article; With New Minister, United Aram Emirates Want to Top the World in Happiness too. They want to add a minister of happiness and tolerance to their government. I think that is great and could ultimately improve the health of their country. I think its great that they don't want to just provide basic services such as education and health, they want to go above and beyond for their people. Reading this article just makes me happy ironically.
ReplyDeleteI read the article on Palliative Care in the United States. The article talks about how there needs to be federal reforms in palliative care. I agree with the article that the teaching of Palliative Care is not always seen as a top priority in nursing school. I believe that this should change and nurses should be fully trained on how to give the best end of life care to maintain the best quality of life possible.
ReplyDeleteI just read the article about the husband talking about his wife who died from cancer. Its interesting to hear the perspective from the spouse of the person who has passed on. I thought it was interesting how he brought up a song that dealt with death in the way his wife was. It was an author talking about a friend, but that friend was his wife. The two decided to marry even though they knew she would die shortly after. I think it is very moving to see how people react in these situations because I don't know how I would react myself. I think it was very loving on the husbands part to still marry her even though they both knew it wouldn't be a long marriage. That alone shows the love between the two. I think that part that hit me the most is when he said they had 13 months to say goodbye. That puts into perspective how people in those situations think and feel. They looked at her time left as the time they got to spend saying goodbye to each other. It wasn't just her dying, they made it mean something so much more.
ReplyDeleteI read the article on George Washington University. I do not understand how that big of a mistake occurred and I think it was very responsible of the school to not only fire the director of the program but stop accepting new cadavers. It would be unimaginable to be one of the families involved in the incident. Of course the school could pay them for their troubles but no amount of money could take back that fact that their loved one is lost forever. It definitely does not help the coping process.
ReplyDeleteI read the article about Diane Rehm. She wrote a book on her experiences as a widow and what her life is like now that her husband is gone. It is an unimaginable to think about. A piece that stuck out to me is when she says that how will she be herself if she is only half of what she was before. That shows the connection her and her husband had, despite their arguments and issues. He was her other half and what made her her. I think that it was brave of her to write such a personal book. I think it will really help a lot of widows find peace and know that they are not alone in how they feel. They can understand that there are other people going through the same situation and that they do not have to do it alone. They can connect to this book on a level that nobody else can. I think that is the most important aspect of the whole book.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2016/02/kalamazoo_michigan_mass_murder.html
ReplyDeleteThis is the link to the mass killing in Kalamazoo Michigan. It talks about the complete coverage of what happened, and gives many different links to more updated information. If you haven't heard what happened: there was a mass shooting in Kalamazoo killing eight people and critically wounding one more. The guy who killed them was an Uber driver, and he murdered them for no reason. This gets me thinking about how something bad could happen wherever and whenever. I take Uber's all the time and never even think about what could happen to me, I think it is the safer option then driving after a night out. But after all of this, it only makes you rethink about calling an Uber.
I read the article “George Washington University stops accepting donated cadavers after losing track of body identities”. This article really shocked me. People choose to donate their bodies to science to help others learn and those taking care of the bodies can’t manage to keep track of them. We should have more respect for the dead we are privileged to learn from. Families have to wait years before they are able to receive the ashes of their dead loved one. Imagine how they would feel being told the ashes they received weren’t the right ones. I know if I was in that situation I would be devastated for myself and the family of the person’s ashes I actually got. Neither of us got to finally get peace with the person we thought. I know the article said the person in charge was let go, but I wonder what actions, if any, were taken against the program by the families.
ReplyDelete