Jared Porter

It’s the first Wednesday of the month, and that means it’s time for the February 2010 edition of Palliative Care Grand Rounds, a rotating compendium of blog entries pertaining to hospice, palliative care, and grief matters. It’s some of the most thought-provoking and helpful information on the Web today.

Alive Hospice is honored to host this month’s edition of PCGR. We’re proud to have celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Alive Hospice Blog in January, and to be part of the ongoing conversation about hospice and palliative care and grief support.

(By the way, have you heard? PCGR now has subscription options. You can follow by e-mail or RSS feed. An aggregated feed of credible, rotating health and medicine blog carnivals is also available.)

Without further ado, this month’s edition of PCGR is broken down into several categories:

1. In memoriam
2. Through the eyes of caregivers
3. Life lessons
4. Grief and living
5. Living the hospice journey
6. Volunteerism
7. Self-care
8. Potpourri
9. Loving care

The family of Life As A Hospice Patient blogger Judi Chamberlin delivered the sad tidings of Judi’s passing in January. Judi began blogging about her experiences in 2008.

From the January 17 entry posted by Judi’s family:

“If you’re reading this you’ve obviously been keeping up with the blog and know the wonderful, sometimes heroic way in which, like much of her life, Judi faced the inevitability of her own death. We know that so many of you loved Judi and will miss her.”

Life as A Hospice Patient will remain accessible for the time being. A memorial Web site has been established, and Judi’s family has invited friends to share their thoughts here. Judi will be deeply missed.

Lora at Less of Me… wrote about recently becoming a hospice volunteer coordinator (welcome to hospice, Lora!), the poignant journey that led her to pursue a career in hospice care, and her impressions so far.

Jay at Two Women Blogging, who also happens to be a hospice and palliative physician, wrote about the resilience of the human spirit at the end of life in this heartwarming entry. The one-word title of this entry says it all: “Gifts.”

Pallimed’s Drew Rosielle commented on a study in the journal Cancer about methadone in outpatient care.

Liz at Eternal Lizdom recounted a conversation she had with her 5-year-old daughter about death and dying. Some questions are just hard to answer – not just for children, but for adults, too.

Rev. Tommy Williams (a Methodist minister who posts thoughts at Letters from the Field) wrote about one of the best Christmas gifts he has ever received – a book on death and dying – and the insights he gained by reading it.

Anglican priest Lesley Fellows, blogging from the UK at Lesley’s Blog, also contemplated death and its implications for how we live our lives, and faith. Lesley’s neighbor to the north in Scotland, Liz – a Presbyterian minister and hospice chaplain – also contemplated how end-of-life conversations have had an unmistakable impact on living her own life.

Robbie Miller Kaplan of Comforting Words – When You Don’t Know What To Say reminds us just how true the words “time heals” are, and what we can do to help that happen when someone close to us loses a loved one.

If you loved Julie and Julia, you’ll love this. (And if you haven’t seen the movie, chances are you’ll like it just the same!) For many of us, there are things that will forever keep us forever linked to loved ones who have gone before us. Life in Chicago’s Claire Bidwell Smith wrote about what makes her feel connected to her mother years after her death. A delicious tribute.

Leigh at Confessions of a Young (Looking) Social Worker offers helpful information about navigating some necessary tasks following the loss of a loved one. A great resource.

Hospice Foundation of America’s Hospice and Caregiving Blog shared about a high school elective course that is doing a great deal to familiarize the next generation with hospice care.

A mother of five wrote about her family’s experience with hospice. This one will put a smile on your face.

Mattie, an adorable Shih Tzu with a heart that can barely be contained in his four-legged body, tells us about how he makes a difference as a pet therapy volunteer at hospices, hospitals, and nursing homes with his human companion. (Equally heartwarming are the comments readers posted in response to this particular blog entry.)

Dr. Judy Littleford, an anesthesiologist-turned-palliative-physician, is taking part in a palliative medicine fellowship and writes about her experiences at Palliative Chronicle. In one recent entry, titled “The Mozart Effect,” she wrote about something that comforts her when the inevitable happens: losing a patient, and in the process, their families.

GeriPal – A Geriatrics and Palliative Care Blog had an entry in January focusing on post-traumatic stress symptoms among WWII veterans.

About.com: Palliative Care’s Angela Morrow, RN called attention to a recent study in the journal Cancer about doctors and delaying discussions about end-of-life care. She offers thoughtful commentary about the study, and she wants to hear what you think. (Leave a comment!)

Pallimed’s Christian Sinclair pondered what the response of the palliative and grief support communities could be when disasters strike, drawing upon the earthquakes in Haiti as a timely example.

Also, Christian Sinclair takes us back in time to January 2006 with a look at what topics were generating conversation during the first year of Pallimed: A Hospice & Palliative Medicine Blog. Christian plans for this to be a regular feature, so watch for it when you visit Pallimed!

To wrap up, here’s one just in time for Valentine’s Day: a Pallimed: Arts & Humanities review of a book that shows love at its very best. The book, written by Judith Fox, is titled I Still Do: Loving and Living with Alzheimer’s Dementia.