Odd Jobs: February
From February 2006
Community Comments
Spark a community dialogue. Be the first to contribute by adding your comments.
Free House Calls Help Ease the Transition
By Janis DiceDr. Sherellen Gerhart has a massage scheduled later in the week and, boy, can she use one.
A board-certified geriatrician and palliative-care specialist with the Partners in Care program in El Dorado County, Gerhart spends long days doing one- to two-hour free home visits to patients with chronic, debilitating or life-threatening illnesses. Assessing the patient’s medical, spiritual and emotional needs, she often works in the midst of a family catastrophe in which grief, frustration, guilt and anger alternately loosen her heartstrings and tighten her chest.
A massage, a talk with a bereavement counselor or some rugged physical activity help ease the strain she feels from a life filled with dying. “I have struggles with that,” the 36-year-old admits. “But somebody has to choose this line of work and I’m called to this. It fits for me.”
Gerhart’s mission is to make a terminal patient’s quality of life as comfortable and satisfying as possible, during all phases of the illness. Working with the ailing person, the caregivers and family, she supplies education about treatments and symptom management, making referrals to specialists, Snowline Hospice, community service agencies and people who make end-of-life arrangements.
“We still haven’t cured dying, but we can plan successfully for it,” Gerhart points out. “The problem is, when we don’t talk about it and don’t work through it, then it becomes a crisis. But it can be a really beautiful time of sharing, and a pivotal time in the life of an adult child.”
A Peaceful, Satisfying Death
Continued...
The Magazine
Site Links
Prosper Plus +
- Get Prosper Plus to receive e-mail alerts, special event invites, and content that interests you.
Community
- Join the Community and start participating. It's fast. It's easy. It's free.
Advertise on this site! Show your support for the Prosper Network and reach influential thought leaders and web users like yourself. Contact us to find out how.
© 2004-2007 Prosper Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
The materials on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Prosper Media, LLC.
Community Comments