NCCN Conference

Here in Hollywood Florida for the NCCN conference. I had a surprising number of participants stay to hear me give the last lecture of the day. I understand the general scheme of a conference is to go with new things and progress through out the day and end with dying, but just once I would like to be in the middle of a conference so people can stay focused. They won't be tired, or worried about traffic, and could absorb what I have to say.

I have to admit being the last lecture wasn't bad this time. The audience was very responsive and I got some nice comments after. I just wish I brought more CARES Tools and book marks. I hope they check out my web site. Time will tell.

Update 3/1/2015

I received copies of my reference book Compassionate Person-Centered Care of the Dying: An Evidence Based Palliative care Guide for Nurses. It provides additional information and insight into the CARES Tool from Springer Publishing. It is an amazing feeling to hold a years worth of work in your hands. I am very proud of the end result and am looking forward to using the book to help educate staff at City of Hope on care of the dying.

I completed my second book that is actually a novel called Resilient Hearts and signed a contract with Tate Publishing. Resilient Hearts follows a fictional Palliative Care team as they work with terminally ill and dying patients and their families. The novel also focuses on how the team members provide self-care through the central character of Michael Lafata, a doctorate prepared palliative care nurse practitioner.  The story line includes a patient who opts for palliative sedation, providing last wishes for a gentleman dying of heart failure, and arranging special closure activities for a five year old and a retired army officer. The story combines multiple actual events and demonstrates the importance of laughter, compassion, empathy, and understanding. The need for music and joy is explored and shared with the reader. (I don't want to give away everything) I am hoping Resilient Hearts will be available before Christmas.

I want to encourage any of my readers to ask questions about my postings or the CARES Tool. I want this blog to provide further understanding of the use of the CARES Tool and to encourage nurse advocacy and promote communication.

Take Care

Lots of activity. My Husband Allen has been busy getting my CARES website up and functional. I had laproscopic knee surgery and now know what 10 out of 10 pain feels like, and I finished my second book Resilient Hearts. I am learning all about working with publishers and literary agents. It all can get pretty overwhelming. I was also told my CARES Tool reference book is ahead of schedule and I should be getting my copies in about a week. This will time well with my EOL teaching plans at City of Hope. I am still most excited about my novel Resilient Hearts. I think it will be a helpful teaching tool and I can't get the idea of making it into a movie out of my head. Time will tell.

I am excited about this Blog. If anything it will be good therapy for me. I just hope I don't bore my readers. I am in the process of finishing a second book called Resilient Hearts. It is a story about a Palliative Care Team and what they encounter as part of their job, how they interact with patients, families, and each other; and how they are able to find the emotional energy to continue working with the dying and terminally ill.

My greatest hope is that it will one day be made into a movie. It would be a very helpful teaching tool because healthcare staff need to know that when you care for the dying you often get more out of it than you give, and it is one of the rare moments in life when you are in the presence of truly unselfish love.

I think some nurses shy away from caring for the dying because they have seen too many horror movies. Death should not occur in a dark room at the end of the hall. It should be bright, loving, and the tears should be mixed with laughter. The life of that dying individual should be celebrated.

There will never be a better time to make a difference in the lives of a family whose loved one is dying than when you show you value and respect their loved one, and it is often as easy a just placing a wash cloth on their forehead. I encourage any nurse to "Never underestimate the value of a wash cloth."

Well gotta work on my book.

Introduction

I wanted to start a Blog to add additional experiences and lessons I have learned as I progress getting the word out about my CARES Tool. It is my hope that I can reach nurses and health care providers that work with the terminally ill and dying. I want to help improve their skills, let them know how important the work we do for the dying is to patients, families, the community, and to our personal and professional growth.

I am launching a new website, and a book called: Compassionate Person-Centered Care of the Dying: An Evidence Based Palliative Care Guide for Nurses, it will be available through Springer Publishing the end of February. I plan to use these resources to promote and further explain use of the CARES Tool, which by-the-way, is an acronym (Comfort, Airway, Restlessness and delirium, Emotional and spiritual support, and Self-care) organized pocket reference guide that addresses the most common symptom management needs of the dying.

The CARES Tool is expanding to include versions for supportive personnel, friends and family, and pediatrics. I will continue to make digital templates available to anyone interested in printing their own copies of the tool, and I am in the process of providing the option to purchase pre-printed versions of the CARES Tool through my web site. I was made aware the template I send out electronically requires the use of a professional printing service. So, I wanted to simplify things by making a heavy card stock version available through the store on my web site. Once my book is released there will be a link made available through Springer to down load the CARES Tool as a phone app.

This is a real growth time for me and for the CARES Tool. I hope you will find my blog helpful.