While Psychiatrists Battle Over DSM Classification Of Grief, Everyday People Struggle To Put Death In Perspective.

Mike Magee Disagreements are common among psychiatrists. And no debate more reliably leads to an intellectual brawl than the classification of psychiatric illnesses in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). This week’s controversy, summarized in an editorial in the Lancet, is whether grief and bereavement reactions should be classified as a major […]

Slaying The “Death Panel” Bull: Taking Control of Your End-of-Life Decisions

Mike Magee This Saturday, April 16, 2011 is National Healthcare Decisions Day – a day set aside to encourage families throughout America to discuss with each other how much care and what kind of care they would like as they approach the end of their lives.(1) Why advanced planning? Because there is a good chance […]

Should New York State’s Medical Society Oppose Mandated End-Of-Life Discussions With Patients?

Mike Magee Nearly 30 years ago, when the consumer health movement began in earnest, health professionals responded with extreme caution, concerned that their authority and control over patients and the health care system would ultimately be challenged. To the credit of most doctors, nurses and health care leaders, caregivers have evolved, accepting that the best […]

The Bob Butler Tribute: 2 Week Seminar on Aging – Day 14

The Bob Butler Tribute Seminar: Final Day Day 1. Aging Demographics Day 2. The Challenge of Longevity Day 3. Measuring Aging Vitality and Independence Day 4. When Caregivers Need Care Day 5. Long Distance Caregivers Day 6. The Economics of Living Longer Day 7. Financing Home Health Care Day 8. Elder Abuse and Vulnerable Elders […]

The Bob Butler Tribute: 2 Week Seminar on Aging – Day 13

The Bob Butler Tribute Seminar Day 1. Aging Demographics Day 2. The Challenge of Longevity Day 3. Measuring Aging Vitality and Independence Day 4. When Caregivers Need Care Day 5. Long Distance Caregivers Day 6. The Economics of Living Longer Day 7. Financing Home Health Care Day 8. Elder Abuse and Vulnerable Elders Day 9. […]

Childhood Mortality

Common misperceptionsIf I were to ask you what the top killer of young children around the world is, what would you say? Many of you might say HIV-AIDS. And you wouldn’t be alone. A recent survey of 1,025 American adults found that 42 percent believed HIV-AIDS to be the top killer. The truth? It was responsible […]

Hospice: Effective and Underutilized

A service that can vastly improve the quality of your final days In a society that puts a heavy emphasis on curative health care — and tends to avoid dealing with death altogether — it’s not surprising that most people have little familiarity with hospice care. This is unfortunate, as hospice can make all the […]