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policy

Nov 24 2019
Love0

Teachable Spirit. Patient Family Advisors.

By Advocate, ePatient, Podcasts, Researcher

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:09 — 41.3MB) | Embed

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Careful what you wish for. Health equity and participatory medicine depend on the widespread meaningful use of patient family advisors. The trickle of such advisors should be a stream. Unfortunately, even if the supply could meet demand, health care administrators, researchers, entrepreneurs lack skill in making good use of patient family advisors. Libby Hoy leads Patient Family-Centered Care Partners, a small organization with a large vision for improving the quality, safety, and experience of healthcare through the development of authentic partnerships from the bedside caregiving relationship to the boardroom.

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Dec 02 2018
Love1

Healthy Homes Advocacy

By Advocate, Podcasts

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:39 — 5.8MB) | Embed

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At some point, when we feel strong enough or mad enough, we want to take action to improve health. This is advocacy. Many of us advocate for someone, sometime. Or we want to. Ourselves, our family members, our cronies, our community. What lessons can we learn from a master at advocacy? I interview Mary Sue Schottenfels, Director of ClearCorps Detroit, a seasoned community organizer, a master advocate.

The lessons I heard from Mary Sue were:

  • Don’t go it alone-join, network, and collaborate.
  • Keep your word, follow through.

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Jun 25 2017
Love0

100th Birthday

By Advocate, Family man

We celebrated a 100th birthday around my Aunt Kikke, born during WWI in the Netherlands. She interrupted medical school and then emigrated to the US when the Nazi’s invaded.  She couldn’t get into medical school here because she was a refugee, a woman, and a Jew. She was finally accepted to Johns Hopkins Medical School on Albert Einstein’s recommendation. Yes, that Albert Einstein. Aunt Kikke, Kato van Leeuwen, practiced as a psychoanalyst through her 90’s. The US has thrived throughout its history from the inspirational careers of refugees and immigrants such as my Aunt.

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Mar 26 2017
Love0

March Madness – TrumpCare

By Advocate, Consumer, Family man, Leader

I’m not following March Madness this year for the first time since we bought a TV in 1985. We ended cable this year (that’s another health story for later). Rather, I followed the suspense of the failed enactment of RyanCare and TrumpCare. I silently cheered at my seat in DC while reviewing PCORI Palliative Care funding requests.  My elation lasted all of five seconds. I can’t ignore that Ryan, Trump et al still want to end funding for Meals on Wheels, housing subsidies, and home energy supports. We know that even with the best-subsidized insurance, a person who can’t get enough food to eat nor heat their home, nor afford a home can’t benefit from great medical care. These social determinants of health (or living life if you’re not a researcher or policy maker) impact health as much as, if not more than, medical care. Read More

Sep 08 2014
Love0

Caregivers Have Other Lives Too

By Advocate, Caregiver, ePatient, Family man, Leader
I’m amazed at what people are capable of. This week I met a nurse leader who manages a neonatal intensive care and transport unit while mothering 5 children (one of her own, 3 adopted and one foster) – I spilled into amazement when she couldn’t meet with me at a particular time because she had Rotary obligations. I was on an airplane and met someone who cared for her ailing, rapidly dying husband, was the sole family earner, with only spotty help from family. She was on her way to a short-term paying gig. I hear stories like this when I meet caregivers.  Caregivers have other lives too. Are all these people saints? They would all say, what else would I do? It’s done for love, sense of obligation, inertia, no choice, who knows. Still, 93 million caregivers in the US. As Don Berwick, candidate for governor of Massachusetts said to me recently, it’s by far the largest health care workforce in the country. Do you know the caregivers in your midst? They’re everywhere. It’s like walking with a cane-suddenly you see all the people with canes.
I’m reading a book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey. Some highly effective people are caregivers.  Some caregivers are highly effective people. Covey talks about delegation. Effective people delegate.  Effective caregivers delegate. Many people have a few minutes to help the helpers. Effective caregivers know how to delegate: shopping, laundry, errands, sitting, accompanying, cooking, cleaning, on and on. Really, though, most caregivers are stuck with caregiving. With no societal support, no help, no relief. If 1% of caregivers, 930,000 people, couldn’t caregive, Medicare and Medicaid would go broke. (At a conservative estimate of $5,000 per year in additional cost, that’s $4.65 BILLION per year). You policy wonks: what do we do now?  This number will only increase.
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