–> About a year before Mom died, I wrote thisfrom her hospital room: Mom was hospitalised just prior to Christmas for respiratory distress. A young, bespectacled respirologist strode into the room. He smiled at Mom and began to make notes on his clipboard. “Have you ever had trouble breathing before?”
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THE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: THE PHARMACIST: A CAREGIVER’S SECRET, BEST FRIEND
One of any caregiver’s BEST and most SECRET friends is the community pharmacist. Why secret? Because most caregivers aren’t aware of all the help that pharmacists can provide. Why best? Let me tell you this story of our pharmacist. Our son Nicholas was often ill and in pain. We struggled at
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: I CAN’T EXPLAIN WHAT’S WRONG DOC, BUT HERE, LOOK AT MY PHONE
Trying to describe our son Nick’s seizures to his neurologist was really difficult until we realized we could film them and use our appointment time to watch the real thing. Nothing captures what really happens during a seizure like recording the event on video. The same goes for unusual or
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: POWER DRESSING FOR CAREGIVERS: GOOD OR BAD?
Yesterday I read a fascinating blog post by the wonderful Denise Brown, founder of Caregiving.com. Her piece is titled Dressing the Part: Family Caregiver, MD. It argues for caregivers to wear a lab coat when we accompany loved ones to medical appointments. Brown is fed up with clinical professionals not treating
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: LISTEN: Our Family Experience With Disability Told to a Med Journal
This is a podcast and article I did for The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). The piece is a shorter version of an address I gave at the American Academy of CP and Developmental Medicine Conference in 2016. What do doctors need to know about the lived experience of parenting
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: WHAT DO CAREGIVERS NEED FROM THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?
What do caregivers need from the health care system? This was the question I was asked at a recent online Town Hall event sponsored by The Caring Experience, a new project designed to collect the stories of Ontario family caregivers and develop p…
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: A Tragic Death, A Cautionary Tale and Lessons About Protecting Our Loved Ones
Guy Mitchell. Guy Mitchell. Guy Mitchell. I can’t get that name out of my head. And when I think of Guy, I am afraid for my son, my mother and my future self. I am afraid for everyone who is at risk of being vulnerable and ‘cared for’ by the
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: LIFE GETS EASIER WITH CONNECTION TO A CIRCLE OF CARE
This week, I was honoured to contribute an article to The Home Care Technology Report, a publication of Rowan Consulting Associates. Tim Rowan is a consultant and information broker on everything to do with home care and technology. I’m pleased to tell you that I’ve had a huge and positive
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