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Feb 28, 2008
"Peace, my heart, let the time for the parting be sweet. Let it not be a death but completeness. Let love melt into memory and pain into songs. Let the flight through the sky end in the folding of the wings over the nest.
Let the last touch of your hands be gentle like the flower of the night.
Stand still, O Beautiful End, for a moment, and say your last words in silence. I bow to you and hold up my lamp to light you on your way." --Rabindranath Tagore
Slow Medicine
A group of culinary mavericks took a giant step backward down the evolutionary trail with the "slow food" movement. Now doctors are following suit, rejecting the assembly line of modern medical care for older, gentler options. For many of us, a big challenge is to decide what kind of medical care our parents should get. Dr. Dennis McCullough, a professor of medicine at Dartmouth College, shows in his new book ("My Mother Your Mother") that we can opt for the "Fast" or "Slow" variety. The Fast kind is full of high tech tools that often dehumanize patients. Dr. McCullough, however, favors the Slow, "family centered, less expensive way." The Slow kind is full of love, conversation with a caring support group, reminiscing, comfort food, hugs, and when the time comes, a gentle exploration of that 'dark night.'
BE THE CHANGE
Form a support group of friends and family to monitor and be advocates for your parent's "Slow" medical care. Rub their feet and read to them. Hold their hands. Speak softly and if you need to, reconcile with them -- don't let them pass without you loving them.
