Category Archives: Professional Advice

Surfing the Waves of Grief

J'aime Morrison uses movement to address the grief we physically hold in our bodies

In 2015, J’aime Morrison lost her husband, Jim, to brain cancer. Morrison, who is a professor of movement and theater at California State University, Northridge, has a long history with dance and movement – including classical ballet, choreography, modern dance, … Continue reading

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Maggie’s Cancer Centers: Why Architecture Matters in Healthcare

An interview with Ann-Louise Ward, the Chief Operating Officer of Maggie’s, a nonprofit providing holistic cancer care based in the UK

  What happens when an artist is confronted with a problem? Often, the artists look for creative ways to deal with the issue. When writer and garden designer Maggie Keswick Jencks was confronted with a cancer diagnosis in the early … Continue reading

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Random Acts of Flowers: Delivering Hope to Those Who Need It Most

An interview with Steffani Zavala of Random Acts of Flowers explores the power of flowers

In July 2007, Larsen Jay was in a near-fatal accident, which caused him to spend significant time in the hospital to recover. Jay attributed his successful recovery to family and friends who visited him and the dozens of flowers and … Continue reading

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Psychiatric Advance Directives Can Empower Those With Severe Mental Illness

An interview with Marvin Swartz, director of the National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives

Marvin S. Swartz, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University. He has dedicated his career to researching the effectiveness of services for severely mentally ill people. He’s also the director of the National Resource Center … Continue reading

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End-of-Life PTSD is More Common Than You Think

Hospice social worker, Scott Janssen, offers advice on how to ease a loved one's pain

Scott Janssen, MA, MSW, LCSW is a social worker with the University of North Carolina Hospice and a member of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Trauma-Informed Care Work Group. Janssen’s articles have been published in dozens of media outlets … Continue reading

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Hospice Massage Offers a Touching End to Life

Julia Gandy describes the vital role that touch can play during the end of someone's life

Human touch is vital. There are libraries of information about the importance of maintaining touch with humans in the early stages of their lives. But what about the late stages of their lives? Julia Gandy believes it’s just as important.

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