Geriatrics Multimedia Menu
For each allotted learning session,
- Read the allotted books chapters from one book or watch one of the selected movies
- Choose 2 among Ted talks and podcasts
Afterward, please write a brief, well thought-out reflection on something new you experienced, whether it is a new piece of information, a different way of thinking, a new approach to older adults or even some emotion you noticed.Reflections need not be lengthy, but they should show evidence of an introspective examination of how the piece relates to the journey of becoming a successful, compassionate physician.Please send the reflection to your preceptor once completed.
Movies:
-Alive Inside (currently on Netflix): a documentary about the Music and Memories Program, which brings music to institutionalized dementia patients
-Still Alice: Julianne Moore portrays a Harvard professor afflicted by early onset Alzheimers
-I’ll Be Me (currently on Netflix): country music legend Glen Campbell sets out on a year and a half long “Goodbye Tour,” after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
-Nebraska: the story of a father and his adult son who embark on a journey to claim a million-dollar prize. What begins as a fool'serrand becomes a search for the road to redemption
-Extremis(currently on Netflix): short documentary following ICU physicians, patients and families as they grapple with end-of-life decisions. Winner of Tribeca Film Festival Best Short Documentary
Books:
-Being Mortal,AtulGawande
- In Being Mortal, bestselling author AtulGawande tackles the hardest challenge of his profession: how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending
- Chapters: The Independent Self, Things Fall Apart, A Better Life, Hard Conversations
-Still Alice,Lisa Genova
- Alice Howland is a renowned psychology professor at Harvard in the peak of her career and life when her memory begins to fail her.
- Chapters: Sept. 2003 – Feb. 2004, Nov. 2004 - Epilogue
Ted Talks: (most 15-20 minutes)
-Abraham Verghese, “A Doctor’s Touch”
Modern medicine is in danger of losing a powerful, old-fashioned tool: human touch. Physician and writer Abraham Verghese describes our strange new world where patients are merely data points, and calls for a return to the traditional one-on-one physical exam.
-Michael Hebb, “What Happens When Death is What’s for Dinner?”
Michael Hebb is an innovative and influential cultural figure, entrepreneur and activist, described by the New York Times as an “underground restaurateur, impresario and provocateur.” He believes that the dinner table is one of the most effective (and overlooked) vehicles for changing the world. Since 1997 Michael has been staging invitation-only salons and dinners where guests from multiple disciplines and various backgrounds focus on specific themes or ideas.
-Peter Saul, “Let’s Talk About Dying”
We can’t control if we’ll die, but we can “occupy death,” in the words of Peter Saul, an emergency doctor. He asks us to think about the end of our lives — and to question against the modern model of slow, intubated death in hospital. Two big questions can you help start this tough conversation.
-Debra Jarvis, “Yes I survived cancer, but that doesn’t define me”
Debra Jarvis had worked as a hospital chaplain for nearly 30 years when she was diagnosed with cancer. And she learned quite a bit as a patient. In a witty, daring talk, she explains how the identity of “cancer survivor” can feel static. She asks us all to claim our hardest experiences, while giving ourselves room to grow and evolve.
Podcasts:
-Radiolab, “A Bus to Nowhere”
There’s a common problem faced by Alzheimer's and Dementia patients all over the world: lost in their memories, they sometimes get disoriented, and wander off. When this happens, they can end up far from home and frightened, or even hurt. So what are you supposed to do if your loved one--a parent, a grandparent--begins to wander in this way? Often times the only solution is to lock them up. Which just feels cruel. But what else are you supposed to do if you want to keep them safe? Lulu Miller asks Richard Neureither and RegineHauch to explain the novel solution used at Benrath Senior Center in Düsseldorf, Germany.
-This American Life,“Rainy Days and Mondys”
Producer ChanaJoffe-Walt talks to a woman named Karen Stobbe and her husband Mondy about a plan they've recently enacted in their family. Karen's mother lives with them and she has dementia. Karen and Mondy are actors and they stumbled upon a skill they have that is incredibly useful in communicating with Karen's mother – improv.
-This American Life, “Old”
For those in the early stages of dementia, some simple tasks become very complex. Chana sits down with one guy determined to figure out why something that used to be so easy has become so hard.
NPR series: “Inside Alzheimer’s”
Journalist Greg O’Brien was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 59 in 2009. This is an ongoing series as he and his family continues his journey with Alzheimer’s. Each story is about 5 minutes long and the series is ongoing.
NY Times Video – A Marriage to Remember