Platinum Life Concierge

07/31/2023

P*e Wee's Big Adventure has a lesson for all of us. Life is too short. Follow your dreams.

"But what? Everyone I know has a big but. C'mon, let's talk about *your* big but..."

12/01/2021

Cancer is a race against time. Use time wisely. Fill days making memories. When faced with the inevitable, renew vows, gather with friends and create joy that will ease the pain when you're gone. No one wants to remember hospital visits.

Despite the gruelling treatments, what really sticks with me about the whole experience is that our house was always a place of laughter and energy.

11/19/2021

Caring for others is, first of all, helping them to overcome that enormous temptation of self-rejection. Whether we are rich or poor, famous or unknown, fully abled or disabled, we all share the fear of being left alone and abandoned, a fear that remains hidden under the surface of our self-composure. It is rooted much more deeply than in the possibility of not being liked or loved by people. Its deepest root lies in the possibility of not being loved at all, of not belonging to anything that lasts, or being swallowed up by a dark nothingness—yes, of being abandoned by God.

Caring, therefore, is being present to people as they fight this ultimate battle, a battle that becomes evermore real and intense as death approaches. Dying and death always call forth, with renewed power, the fear that we are unloved and will, finally, be reduced to useless ashes. To care is to stand by a dying person and to be a living reminder that the person is indeed the beloved child of God.

We shouldn’t try to care by ourselves. Care is not an endurance test. We should, whenever possible, care together with others. It is the community of care that reminds the dying person of his or her belovedness.

~ Henri J. M. Nouwen

11/17/2021

Number of people dying at home highest in 20 years. Alzheimer’s deaths at 98% above 5-year average, while dementia was 51.3% higher.

COVID-19 has changed dying at home forever, rather than face an "institutional death" for those with little medical needs.

Plan legacy projects, home vigils and family conversations to make the most of the last weeks, days and hours. Contact me for details

11/16/2021

Don't put off writing a will & advance directives.
Imagine putting your family in limbo & the state making these decisions at the worst time of their lives.

Feel it's morbid to solidify your wishes? I can help with less scary ways to do this!

Physician Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment ( POLST ) Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (MOLST) Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (POST) Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST)

11/13/2021

"Intensive care has saved countless lives, but the invasive process can also yield a poorly recognized cluster of serious consequences that together constitute “post-intensive care syndrome.”

The worst effects include debilitating weakness and fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, difficulty thinking, and hard-to-define challenges functioning in daily life. Family members, suddenly thrust into the role of caregivers for a seriously ill loved one, endure emotional and practical difficulties of their own.

Only in recent years have doctors and researchers begun to focus on the long-term impact of their efforts in the ICU to stave off death. Much remains unknown, but growing evidence points to prolonged inactivity, deep sedation, delirium and powerful medications as some of the main causes of serious side effects that can last for years."

Physical, mental and cognitive problems can last years after covid-19 or other severe illness is conquered

11/12/2021

Pledge to plan for your end-of-life care. While some people may be uncomfortable with this, think of the alternative of NOT doing it and the impact that will have on your family at the worst possible time.

Some of us have been in the situation where a family member has not expressed their wishes, leaving those in a decision-making position in agony. Don't add that stress to the ones you love in a crisis.

Take control of your end-of-life care and join you in supporting Compassion & Choices:

Compassion & Choices improves care, expands options, and empowers everyone to chart their end-of-life journey. Join us!

11/02/2021

EMPATHY is the most important leadership skill, according to Forbes Magazine.

You always knew demonstrating empathy is positive for people, but new research demonstrates its importance for everything from innovation to retention. Great leadership requires a fine mix of all kinds of skills to create the conditions for engagement, happiness and performance, and empathy tops the list of what leaders must get right.

You always knew demonstrating empathy is positive for people, but new research demonstrates its importance for everything from innovation to retention.