When the oncology unit staff see you almost daily, they become part of your work family. This sweetness made my day (and my my blood sugar 👍)

🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT!! We are now actively recruiting for our #PalliativeCare #SocialWork #Fellowship at Texas Children's Hospital! We are looking for an LMSW to start in July. If you are interested or would like more info, email me at [email protected] 🙌🏻

Another reason why I love palliative care: we get to sit down. 😌

Just heard someone pronounce nasal cannula like “cannoli” CAN-OOO-LA. Have I been misled?

Common for someone to cry during a #Palliativecare consult. Some triggers: 1. Talking about the real stuff 2. Finally, permission given to speak openly 3. Gratitude for the care 4. Reflecting on a good life 5. Worries about burden 6. Anticipating saying goodbye #Medtwitter

I just learned how to set up a Legacy Contact in my iPhone. It allows for my chosen contact to access my phone with an access code & my death certificate. Will definitely add this to my offerings when assisting patients and families planning for end-of-life.

Just like birth stories for new moms, the need to tell the death story in the grieving process is worth its weight in gold. Listening to someone who is grieving tell the story of their loved one's death is an act of service that will pay dividends in how they integrate the loss.

Death is not a failure. Everybody dies. The question is how they die, which means how they live till the very end.

Annoy a palliative care social worker in one tweet. 🧐

What a labour of love by ICUsteps. 'End of Life in Intensive Care' is an information resource for family & friends when an ICU patient is so sick that they might die. The website is written in user-friendly language, & includes a downloadable pdf. bit.ly/Dying_in_ICU 1/

Giant corporate for-profit hospices should not be a thing. #hospice #hapc

Dead with vultures circling on this hill 🪦😕

Social workers are at the core of these discussions and planning; keeping the delicate balance of compassionate communication in step with a complex dance of competing needs and interests: advocating for the pt/fam while managing expectations of hospital admin. ♥️⚖️🏦

"Don't make assumptions. Ask them what should I know about you to provide the best care for you? As they are the experts in their life & you're the medical expert & we need to take that extra moment to create that rapport & build a therapeutic relationship," says Hsien Seow PhD

When you clarified goals comfort care, think really carefully about each medical intervention. - If that makes patient comfortable, do/continue it. - If not, don't do it or stop it. Finger sticks, NG tube, non-rebreather mask, etc. Do they help make them comfortable?

I struggle to understand why, when an oncologist writes for 30 tablets of nausea medication for a patient on chemotherapy, an insurer can limit that patient to less than 10 tablets in the fill. #hapc

What is the consensus on palliative social workers being part of the learner’s medical education (MD residents, medical/pharm res students) on palliative rotation yet not being given the title of faculty? Interested in others thoughts/experience.