Jun 29, 2023
I don't know 'bout religion
I only know what I see
And in the end when I hold their hand
It's both of us set free
These are the ending lyrics to Bonnie Raitt’s song “Down the Hall”, an ode to the Pastoral Care Workers who care for their fellow inmates in the hospice unit at the California Medical Facility in...
Jun 22, 2023
In the early 1990’s, California Medical Facility (CMF) created one of the nation’s first licensed hospice units inside a prison. This 17-bed unit serves inmates from all over the state who are approaching the end of their lives. A few are let out early on compassionate release. Many are there until they die.
Jun 15, 2023
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has tremendous potential. We talk on this podcast about potential uses of AI in geriatrics and palliative care with natural language processing guru Charlotta Lindvall from DFCI, bioethicists and internist Matt DeCamp from University of Colorado, and prognosis wizard Sei Lee from UCSF.
Jun 8, 2023
Diabetes is common. When I’m on nursing home call, the most common page I receive is for a blood sugar value. When I’m on palliative care consults and attending in our hospice unit we have to counsel patients about deprescribing and de-intensifying diabetes medications.
Given how frequent monitoring and...