C L O S L E R
Moving Us Closer To Osler
A Miller Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence Initiative

January is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. What’s an important lesson that you’ve learned from a senior?

"Practice small, memorable acts of love. As a kid, my grandma would cut my sandwiches into triangles and call them “party sandwiches." It always made me smile. Now I do that for my son and we talk about her."-Dr. Jeff Rubenstein, Texas Children's.

Takeaway

“Hold the important things close, let the small and trivial things go.”-Margot Kelly-Hedrick, med student, Duke University

Lifelong Learning in Clinical Excellence | January 22, 2021 | <1 min read

Highlights

Employ humanism, compassion, and love always.

Dr. Mariah Robertson, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Step back and find the beauty in the process rather than the end goal.

Michelle Gyenes, med student, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland
To ask about sexual orientation. Many aging seniors have to go back in the closet due to fear of discrimination from nursing homes and you may be one of the people they feel safe with.

Dr. Chase Anderson, UCSF
Life is short, don't hold a grudge.

Dr. Eric Last, Wantagh, New York
Listen to people's stories.

Dr. Jeff Millstein, Penn Medicine
Enjoy the stories you hear again and again. That’s your family’s oral history and someday you may be the one left to pass them on.

Dr. Shannon Scott-Vernaglia, Mass General
Hold the important things close, let the small and trivial things go.

Margot Kelly-Hedrick, med student, Duke University
Spend time with family and friends, laugh loudly, share foods and stories.

Dr. Aline Charabaty, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Practice small, memorable acts of love.

Dr. Jared Rubenstein, Texas Children's
Cherish the time with loved ones.

Dr. Rachel Salas, Johns Hopkins Medicine
The therapeutic value of slowing down (no phone or computer), taking time for talking together, and really listening.

Dr. Diana Anderson
Often your compassion means more than your skill.

Dr. Elizabeth Gundersen, Florida Atlantic University

Dr. Mariah Robertson, Johns Hopkins Medicine

I learned from my mother and nana, who both had Alzheimer’s, to listen intently, use physical touch, and engage always. The worst thing you can do is dismiss or ignore their personhood. No matter the stage of their disease employ humanism, compassion, and love always. #thisisgeriatrics

Michelle Gyenes, med student, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland

My grandparents taught me the importance of stepping back and finding the beauty in the process rather than the end goal. I remind myself about it all the time and it makes me feel so much better.

What do you think?

Do you want to add to the conversation? Please share!

Dr. Chase Anderson, UCSF

To ask about sexual orientation. Many aging seniors have to go back in the closet due to fear of discrimination from nursing homes and you may be one of the people they feel safe with.

Dr. Eric Last, Wantagh, New York

Life is short, don’t hold a grudge, and if everyone likes you, I don’t trust you!

Dr. Jeff Millstein, Penn Medicine

Listen to people’s stories.

Dr. Shannon Scott-Vernaglia, Mass General

Enjoy the stories you hear again and again. That’s your family’s oral history and someday you may be the one left to pass them on.

Margot Kelly-Hedrick, med student, Duke University

Hold the important things close, let the small and trivial things go.

Dr. Aline Charabaty, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Spend time with family and friends, laugh loudly, share foods and stories.

Dr. Jared Rubenstein, Texas Children's

Practice small, memorable acts of love. As a kid, my grandma would cut my sandwiches into triangles and call them “party sandwiches.” It always made me smile. Now I do that for my son and we talk about her.

Dr. Rachel Salas, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Listen to the stories of others. Cherish the time with loved ones.

Dr. Diana Anderson

The therapeutic value of slowing down (no phone or computer), taking time for talking together, and really listening.

Dr. Elizabeth Gundersen, Florida Atlantic University

As the 91-year-old woman who’s a standardized patient for our end-of-life sim always says, “Sometimes you have to take off your white coat.” Followed by, “Often your compassion means more than your skill.”

Conversation

You Might Also Be Interested In

Dropping my Pen

October 28, 2021 | Lifelong Learning in Clinical Excellence | 2 min read

“Good Doctoring”

January 29, 2019 | Lifelong Learning in Clinical Excellence | 7 min read

Shock, Grief, and Arrival

July 2, 2019 | Lifelong Learning in Clinical Excellence | 5 min read