Healthy Dying… An important part of healthy aging
April 14, 2015
By: Paul Tatum @doctatum This year the Obama administration will convene the 2015 White House Conference on Aging (WHCOA). The…
Statins at the end of life, revisited
April 12, 2015
The recently published statin-discontinuation trial has been celebrated in the palliative care community. It’s message is clear – go ahead…
Knocking on Heaven’s Door: A Book Review
September 9, 2014
“Knocking on Heaven’s Door” by Katie Butler is a book that will resonate with most of our GeriPal readership. In…
Is Deactivating a Cardiac Pacemaker Euthanasia?
September 4, 2014
“He’d feel okay about not replacing the pacemaker’s battery when it ran down, he said. But turning it off, he…
Community Health Workers: Key to Reducing Disparities in End-of-Life Care
September 9, 2013
Despite recent attention, dying in the United States is a complex and often suboptimal experience for patients and providers alike.…
$10,000 Design Challenge to Improve the Communication of End-of-life Preferences
April 23, 2013
Do you have any good ideas on how to get more people to complete advance directives early, re-visit them periodically,…
What is your patient’s PPD status?
February 21, 2013
Bree Johnston, a true believer in geriatrics and palliative care, contributor to GeriPal, and erstwhile colleague at UCSF, recently returned…
Bereavement Does Not Immunize the Grieving Person Against Major Depression
December 4, 2012
This is a guest post by Dr. Ronald Pies in response to this week’s GeriPal post about the removal of…
Is it time for another lawsuit? Advocating to change the Medicare Hospice Benefit eligibility requirements
November 5, 2012
By now most everyone has heard about the proposed settlement of a nationwide class-action lawsuit against Medicare that would do…
Advance directives reduce end-of-life costs in New York and Los Angeles
October 5, 2011
When have advance directives ever been shown to do anything? They were a complete failure in SUPPORT. Study after study…