Death Doulas Add To Dying Well Initiatives
An overwhelming 80% of Americans want to die at home but the reality is that 60% die in the hospital and another 20% die in a nursing home.
Hospice In The Nursing Home
Knowing the Right Question to Ask BY SUSAN M. MATHEWS, PhD, RN, MSBE The call from the nursing home came at 8 on Wednesday morning. Mom was not getting up for breakfast. Mom was always dressed, with make-up on by 6:30. I told the caller I had a 2-hour drive but was leaving immediately. When […]
A Personal Essay
BY SUSAN M. MATHEWS, PhD, RN, MSBE What happens when you make a promise to yourself and to your mother “I will never…put you in a nursing home?” Does life get in the way of those plans and promises? I posit that it does, and painfully so. My mother is 96 years old and has […]
Where Education And Dementia Intersect
BY SUSAN M. MATHEWS, PhD, RN, MSBE A July 2017 report published by the Population Research Bureau provides both good and bad news about our aging society and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s and vascular dementias. It is undeniable that the absolute number of Americans with dementia is increasing, however, the proportion of those with dementia […]
Artificial Intelligence And The Caregiver Gap
In some ways, the Jetson family gave us a look at what is becoming our technologically supported life. BY SUSAN M. MATHEWS, PhD, RN, MSBE In two short years, the American population of those 65 and older will number 65 million. It’s a staggering number that demands some out of the box thinking, especially when […]