Palliative Pearls

July 2021 Palliative Pearls – Skip the Scope! The scopolamine patch has little utility as a drying agent in palliative care. Scopolamine patches can cause severe delirium and other side effects.  W...

June 2021 – Caring for a loved one who is up all night is not sustainable. Using a low dose stimulant, like methylphenidate, in the daytime to treat apathy and daytime drowsiness has helped pati...

May 2021 – When assessing palliative wounds- not expected to heal, sometimes managing the odiferous drainage can be the greatest kindness for patient and visitors. Non-healing wounds are common ...

April 2021 – When assessing pain in a nonverbal or cognitively compromised patient, consider symptoms of agitation and fear as clues. Consider Mrs. Jones: She is getting more agitated with her t...

March 2021 – Patients with dementia and their families benefit from specialized end-of-life support Hospice care provides: Goal setting with families Teaching on what to expect with the decline ...

February 2021 –When palliating heart failure with difficult to control atrial fibrillation, remember our old friend digoxin. Consider Mr. Jones: His atrial fibrillation is marginally controlled ...

January 2021 – “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”                                      Adapted...

December 2020 – Grief counselling is available to the community at large from Hospice of the Northwest. Any member of our community can use Hospice of the Northwest for grief support. We offer b...

November 2020 – When your computer is tired and behaving badly, turn it off and count to 10. Always the first question from the IT help desk:  “Did you try powering down?”  Can we ...

October 2020 – “There’s nothing more we can do . . .”  has no place in end of life care. Use language that offers care that is needed now:  Urgent and careful management of symptoms ...