Damar Hamlin’s collapse on the field during Monday Night Football has brought increased awareness of the dangers of heart disease. The 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety suffered cardiac arrest in the first quarter of the team’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, requiring cardiovascular pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Constipation is one of the most stressful symptoms experienced by patients with a serious illness. It occurs in at least 70% of patients. Many times, it goes unrecognized and is often undertreated.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system. It affects movement and often includes tremors, stiffness, and difficulty with balance. However, many people with Parkinson’s disease also develop mental health symptoms, including depression, anxiety, and psychosis.
Helping a parent with their end-of-life decisions and caregiving responsibilities can be a challenging experience even for the closest of family members. Yet this reality is something more families are facing everyday.
When dealing with a serious illness, it is important for families to be on the same page about the patient’s plan of care. Palliative care family meetings are an important tool in identifying the patient’s wishes, guiding decision making, and creating patient-centered goals.
Most older adults and people facing serious illness are using medication of some kind to manage symptoms, treat their illness, and address other chronic health issues. With so much affecting their loved one’s health, family caregivers often ask about the difference between symptoms and side effects of the medication.
