![]() ![]() ![]() Over the course of 10 years, he and his research team recorded the end-of-life experiences of 1,400 patients and families. So at the sight of dying patients reaching and calling out to their loved ones – many of whom they had not seen, touched or heard for decades – he began collecting and recording testimonies given directly by those who were dying. What would medical care look like if all physicians stopped and listened, too? The project begins What if, he wondered, patients’ own perceptions at life’s end mattered to their well-being in ways that should not concern just nurses, chaplains and social workers? Kerr, this didn’t seem like cognitive decline. One day, in 2005, a dying patient named Mary had one such vision: She began moving her arms as if rocking a baby, cooing at her child who had died in infancy decades prior. As patients approached death, many had dreams and visions of deceased loved ones who came back to comfort them in their final days.ĭoctors are typically trained to interpret these occurrences as drug-induced or delusional hallucinations that might warrant more medication or downright sedation.īut after seeing the peace and comfort these end-of-life experiences seemed to bring his patients, Dr. But he soon noticed a phenomenon that seasoned nurses were already accustomed to. ![]() Kerr was tasked – like any and all physicians – with attending to the physical care of his patients. Unexpected visitorsĪt the start of his career, Dr. But the work of a hospice doctor named Christopher Kerr – with whom I co-authored the book “ Death Is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life’s End” – might offer some consolation. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |