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Traveling Abroad While in Poor Health
Things to think about when you travel abroad with a serious illnessSometimes when your health is failing, you may decide to throw caution to the winds and go on that trip you’ve been dreaming of all your life. If you and your loved one are traveling abroad, there are steps you should take to protect your health and save yourself elephant-size medical bills. The first thing…
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“Bereavement”
Shelley’s poem describes one man’s intense griefPercy Bysshe Shelley is known as one of the preeminent Romantic English poets of the 19th century. Though he only lived to be 29 years old, he is regarded by many to be one of the most influential poets of the English language. His moving work “Bereavement” is a poem that describes an unnamed man’s response to…
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Monday Hearts for Madalene
Page Hodel creates beautiful hearts as a tribute to enduring loveIt’s an honor for SevenPonds to share with our readers the story of the Monday Hearts for Madalene project, a true account of the power of love in the midst of death.The project’s origins take us to 2005: the moment Page Hodel encountered Madalene Rodriguez and fell “instantly, dizzyingly in love with her.” The couple’s first meeting was electric,…
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The Art of the Die-In
Meaningful visual images stir emotionsImagine this: You’re out for a walk in your favorite park. As you stroll along, you notice that there are more people about than you’re used to seeing. Suddenly, the woman in front of you keels forward and drops to the ground. As you look around for help, you see more and more people falling…
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How Can Palliative Care Be Implemented in the ICU? (Interview)
An interview with Dr. Jessica Nutik-Zitter, Part TwoToday SevenPonds concludes our interview with Dr. Jessica Nutik-Zitter, M.D. Dr. Zitter is a board certified specialist in both critical care and hospice and palliative medicine and an attending physician in the intensive care unit at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California. She was featured in the award-winning Netflix documentary “Extremis” and is the author of…
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“Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die” by BBC
The documentary takes an honest look at aid in dyingWhen author Terry Pratchett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he had to confront an uncomfortable decision: Should he see his illness through to the end (and risk losing his dignity in the process), or should he choose to end his life prematurely? To find answers, he teamed up with director Charlie Russell to create the television documentary…
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Confronting Loneliness in the Elderly
Research shows that social isolation is damaging to our healthAs the world’s population ages, the number of elderly Americans who live alone has increased every year. Today, about one in three of the 46 million seniors who live in the community lives alone. That number increases to one in two in people over the age of 85. And while living alone does not necessarily…
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Chimpanzees Grieve Death Like Humans
Studies show how chimps grieve and mourn their deadChimpanzees are humans’ closest evolutionary relatives. Humans and chimps share roughly 99 percent of our DNA, and chimps display a wide range of emotions. It’s also possible that they mourn and grieve the deaths of relatives like we do. A study published in 2010 showed that chimpanzees are aware of death and can tell when one of…
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After the Death Panel Controversy, Physicians Struggle with End-of-Life Care
New medical codes could help patients plan their healthcareAn anesthesiologist described a chaotic scene in his hospital. Years ago, an elderly woman was rushed to the operating room with bowel trauma, septic shock and multi-system organ failure. The anesthesiologist, surgeon and nursing staff didn’t expect her to survive. Yet despite the slim odds, they did everything they could to save her. They were…
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