Learn About the ICU
Learn About the ICU An Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a department in the hospital that provides specialized care for patients. It is sometimes also called a critical care unit. The health care team in the ICU has experience treating patients with severe and life-threatening illnesses or injuries. While your family member is in the […]
When a Loved One is in the ICU
When a Loved One is in the ICU Visit Your Family Member: Most ICUs encourage visiting patients with few restrictions. You may feel comfortable doing this, or you may feel frightened or unsure of what to do. The ICU health care team can help you feel more comfortable. When a patient is first admitted to an ICU, it […]
Looking After Yourself When Caregiving for an ICU Patient
Looking After Yourself When a Loved One is in ICU The rest of your life does not stop when your family member is admitted to the ICU. You may still have work commitments, a mortgage to pay, a house to maintain, or other family and pets to care for. It is important that you continue […]
What’s wrong with Advance Care Planning?
Recently, a palliative care colleague wrote an article that was entitled, “What’s wrong with advance care planning (ACP)?”[i] in one of the world’s most read medical journals (The Journal of American Medical Association). They note that ACP is grounded in the desire to improve the quality of one’s end of life experience by planning for one’s […]
Why we need to plan for serious illness, not end-of-life
We all need to start doing advance serious illness planning (not traditional advance care planning) right now. Like many Canadians, the world events of the past few years have forced me to reflect more on my health, the health of my family, and the health of the health care system. I see how the pandemic […]
Legacy Planning: Live Today Like You’re Dying!
What is Legacy Planning? Many people think of legacy planning as a financial strategy that prepares people to pass on their assets to a loved one or next of kin after death. But this is an incomplete view on the matter. Legacy can encompass ‘anything’ that is passed down from one generation to another. It […]
What if I don’t have anyone to represent me?
Author – Dr. Daren Heyland, Critical Care Physician and Founder of Plan Well Guide One of the most frequent questions I am asked when I give public lectures on advance serious illness planning is, “What if I don’t have anyone to ask to represent me when I am seriously ill?” That’s a problem for which […]