Rethinking End of Life Care

Dr. Timothy Ihrig is a leading figure in palliative and end of life care in the US and internationally.
His Ted Talk What We Can Do to Die Well has been viewed more than a million times. He will be the key note speaker at Tru Community Care’s fall symposium, Transcending the Norm: New Thoughts on Caring for our Community happening October 10 and 11.

Dr. Ihrig says we need to refine how we think of the end of our lives. “It’s the last few chapters, it could be a few weeks, months or a few years. I think true palliative medicine is honoring that 50% that is physiological, so that would be the things we focus on for symptom management with respect to pain medicine, anxiety medication etc.  But 50% of the body or the human being is emotional, spiritual or perhaps religious if one subscribes to that, and without honoring both halves, and allowing them to come together and be one being – we’re stagnant. So true palliative medicine is acknowledgement of the entire human being.”

Find out more at TruCare.org.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download