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“We Were Here”
Five survivors of the San Francisco AIDS epidemic share their stories in this documentary filmNo health crisis in modern times has approached the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and ’90s in scope or impact. In the two decades between 1980 and 2000, nearly 780,000 Americans were diagnosed with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, and at least 448,000 of those people died. The virus decimated the gay community, especially in San…
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Cultural Values May Inhibit End-of-Life Choices
Health professionals and patients working together can clarify options for Chinese and Latino families bound to traditionApproaching the end of life is difficult enough without having to deal with language barriers and deep-set cultural norms that may affect the decision-making process. For Asians and Latinos, who are bound to tradition and may lack the necessary communication skills, making end-of-life choices presents unique challenges. Some Cultures Typically Don’t Talk About Dying Many…
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New Study Links Frailty To Alzheimer’s Dementia
Research shows that higher rates of frailty contribute to the development of dementiaPhysical frailty is a common condition found in the elderly, and it is associated with a number of adverse health outcomes. Frailty is a syndrome comprised of a number of features: Core components of physical frailty include strength, gait, body composition and fatigue. Now, the Lancet Neurology journal has published new research suggesting that frailty makes…
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How Does Opening Up Conversations About Death Help Bereaved Parents? (Interview)
An interview with Jane Harris — therapist, filmmaker, and co-founder of The Good Grief Project, Part OneIn this first part of a two-part interview, I speak with Jane Harris. She and her husband, Jimmy Edmonds, lost their 22 year-old-son, Josh when he died in a road accident in Vietnam in 2011. In the wake of his death, they created the charity, The Good Grief Project, which they use to make films,…
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“Stay” by Mike Jacobs Becomes A Hit Song After His Death
It was always a dream of his to record a chart-topping singleMike Jacobs died from esophageal cancer this past New Year’s Eve at the age of 61. And now, a song he recorded before he died has become a hit on iTunes in the U.K., reaching as high as the number two spot. According to a story from express.co.uk, Jacobs originally composed the song, “Stay,” roughly…
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“Bullets into Bells”
Poets and citizens respond to gun violence in an attempt to find common groundFormer Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband Captain Mark Kelly write in the foreword of “Bullets into Bells,” …” people in public service do not begin their careers thinking that gun violence prevention would be their life’s work.” Neither do poets, as in the case of one of the collection’s editors, Brian Clements. Then comes a…
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“Live Like You Were Dying”
A song about living life to the fullest, written by Craig Wiseman and Tim NicholsA woman battling a brain tumor once told me, “It’s not that you should live each day as if it’s your last. You should live each day as if it’s your ONLY.” The songwriters of “Live Like You Were Dying” understood the sentiment. In 2004, Craig Wiseman and Tim Nichols were talking about a 40-year-old…
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Bereaved Family Members Need More than Support
Bereavement care should focus on family concerns as well as emotional support, study showsWhen a loved one dies unexpectedly while in the hospital, bereaved family members often have many questions about what happened and why. Even if the person’s overall health and long-term prognosis were poor, sudden death from an unexpected or even expected complication can leave grieving family members feeling angry and betrayed. These feelings are often…
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