The Center for Communication in Medicine (CCM) will host a free online workshop, “Working with the Guide 101”, on June 22 from 6 – 7:30 pm. CCM founder Dr. Bernard Bandman, co-author of SpeakSooner®: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations (Guide), and primary care physician Dr. Michael Welther will lead the workshop. The Guide was […]
THE MEANING OF “NEW NORMAL”
We often hear the term “new normal” used in describing lifestyle changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, those words are familiar to cancer patients.
THE VENTILATOR QUESTION
Ventilators and their vital role in saving lives of COVID-19 patients are ever present in the news. Listening to these compelling stories brought to mind an experience with a patient as he weighed the use of a breathing machine in his end of life care.
Peekaboo
I recall a patient telling me that she played “peekaboo” with her cancer diagnosis. She described how hard it was to think about an uncertain future and the prospect of dying. She needed time to look away and catch her breath. How can any of us keep our eyes wide open without a reprieve when […]
The Center for Communication in Medicine publishes updated website & Guide
The Center for Communication in Medicine (CCM) announces the launch of their updated website https://www.speaksooner.org/ and a new edition of their signature support tool, SpeakSooner®: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations. In response to patient and focus group feedback, CCM’s classic Difficult Conversations Toolkit has been revised to be direct, accessible and user friendly. The […]
Finding Our Strength
“In times of crisis we summon our strength…
call on every resource…every forgotten image…
every memory that can make us know our power.”
– Muriel Rukeyser
How does one live with uncertainty when facing a life-threatening illness? Where does one find inner strength? Where does one look for supportive resources? Most patients will tell you that they frequently ask themselves these questions.
SpeakSooner®: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations Facilitator Training Workshop – POSTPONED
Due to concerns around the spread of COVID-19 and potential exposure here in Bennington County, the Center for Communication in Medicine has cancelled SpeakSooner®: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations Facilitator Training Workshop scheduled for April 4, 2020. We will reschedule at a later date and keep you informed.
Does Faith Have a Place in Medical Care?
“When I completed medical school and residency in the Northeast, I rarely thought about the intersection of religion and medicine. But when I moved to the South for a combined fellowship in pediatric hematology-oncology and hospice and palliative medicine, I found myself enrolled in a crash course at the bedside,”
2nd Annual Facilitator Training
POSTPONED! SpeakSooner®: A Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations Facilitator Training Workshop Saturday, April 4, 2020 10 am – 4 pm Bennington Free Library 101 Silver St, Bennington, VT 05201 Join us for the 2nd annual facilitator training workshop in the use of the Center for Communication in Medicine’s signature support tool, SpeakSooner®: A Patient’s […]
Doctors Need Support More Than We Think
We expect doctors to provide state of the art care and help us get better from whatever ails us. By nature, patients are self-centered and believe that doctors should only be concerned about our problems.