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“You Want it Darker”
Leonard Cohen’s title song from his final album, “You Want It Darker,” explores philosophical dilemmas, existential questions and his own mortality.Leonard Cohen was a Candian singer-songwriter known for his songs of incredible depth, passion, and poeticism. Throughout his long career, his simple yet layered lyricism has explored themes of religion, sexuality, politics and loss. In his later years, his lyrics delved more into mortality, which is clearly demonstrated in his 14th and final studio album…
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Letters from the Holocaust
An amazing historical tale of love, endurance, and the meaning of familyThis week’s very special Opening our Hearts represents a collaboration between Judy Vasos and Aurora Wells. All material is part of the Rosi Mosbacher-Baczewski private collection — which she had saved for nearly 70 years before passing on to her son and daughter-in-law, Tony and Judy, at the time of her death in 2009. Thank…
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New Alzheimer’s Blood Test Could Become Standard for Early Detection
A newly published study says the test can be up to 94 percent accurateResearchers out of Washington University in St. Louis have developed a blood test that could accurately predict early Alzheimer’s brain changes before cognitive symptoms arise. The test measures the Alzheimer’s protein amyloid beta in the blood. The researchers report that they can then use those levels to predict whether the protein has accumulated in the…
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A Unique Celebration for a Seattle Artist — A Joyful Memorial Water Ballet
Rose Briar Bates asked friends to dance in her honor after her deathWhen Seattle-area artist Briar Bates learned she was dying, she wasted little time feeling sorry for herself. Upbeat and quirky before her diagnosis, she continued in much the same vein as an aggressive cancer rapidly stole her life. Diagnosed in November 2016, Briar died seven months later, but not before concocting dozens of ways she…
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Why Are Patient’s and Physician’s Psychological Attributes Important in End-of-Life Care? (Interview)
An interview with Dr. Paul Duberstein, a public health psychologist and professor at Rutgers University, Part TwoToday SevenPonds continues our two-part interview with Dr. Paul Duberstein, a public health psychologist, professor, and Chair of the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy at Rutgers University. Dr. Duberstein’s earlier work centered on identifying risk factors for suicide and depression in older adults as well as intervention studies to improve outcomes among patients with…
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“When Breath Becomes Air”
In this memoir, a neurosurgeon with cancer reflects on what makes life meaningful in the face of deathPaul Kalanithi’s cancer became the impetus for his bestselling memoir, “When Breath Becomes Air” – fulfilling his lifelong ambition to become a writer while cutting that life tragically short. The book reveals the story of a neurosurgery resident on the cusp of an illustrious career when he is diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer – throwing…
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Funny Obituaries Get the Last Laugh
Comic death notices can inspire chuckles to belly laughs in those who knew the person being remembered — and even those who didn’tSome people avoid reading obituary notices like the plague. Others turn to them first thing every morning, a cup of coffee in one hand, newspaper or tablet in the other. No obit reader, however, expects to get a laugh out of the capsule biographies of the latest dearly departed. Still, a few precious people facing…
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Are U.S. Hospice Care Providers Falling Short?
A recent report from the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General says they areIn a landmark 2019 released report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General found deficiencies in the care provided to many hospice patients in the United States. Many of these deficiencies were relatively minor, including issues such as poor care planning or inadequate assessments of patient care needs. But others…
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Hindu Cremations at Nepal’s Pashupatinath Temple
Family members complete nearly two weeks of traditional Hindu mourning ritualsPashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal is one of the region’s most significant Hindu pilgrimage destinations. Located on the banks of the sacred Bagmati river, the sprawling temple complex includes hundreds of Shiva “lingams,” or symbols representing Lord Shiva, and overflows with devotees during the annual festival of Maha Shivaratri. It is also home to several…
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