Health Psychology: A Biopsychosocial Approach
Videos
Caring for the caregivers
Frances Lewis | TEDxSnoIsleLibraries
Caregiving is a tremendously different job, and spouse caregivers may fall into depression, as well as other illnesses. Here, Frances Lewis explains the travails that caregivers encounter and provides important recommendations to get by or limit the difficulties experienced.
Beyond life: Managing your right to die
Dr. Allan Saxe | TEDxPlano
Should we have the right to die? As Allan Saxe indicated, we would not think of letting our beloved pets go through misery, so why would we allow our loved ones suffer. Society needs to change.
Dying with dignity: The importance of choice at end of life
Helen O'Shaughnessey | TEDxDunLaoghaire
Having the choice and control over our own lives is essential to us. Why in the world should we not have control over our own death? In this talk you will hear that there is a way to make this possible without jeopardizing the well-being of those who should not be dying (like people who are depressed but can be cured). Opponents have made all sorts of arguments against this position, including that dopey slippery slope position.
The right to die issue has become progressively more relevant. With an ageing population and hence more people being ill, an increasing number of people have claimed this right. However, it is not just the elderly who encounter intractable, painful conditions that make death a preferred option. Both sides in the debate have expressed valid positions, but there are no easy solutions. For some people, a variety of religious, political and ethical issues encouraged the view that assisted death should be illegal. Others take the view that ‘it’s my life, and my death’, and that a life without a degree of quality is unacceptable. It may even be immoral to foist the views of outsiders on those going through situations that makes them not want to live. This Dnews video provides an overview of some of the important issues.
Loss and grieving affect biological processes and health
Stressors, such as loss and grieving can be especially devastating. In fact, it seems that you can die of a broken heart, or grief can undermine an individual’s ability to survive. This brief video tells you about this.
A decision-making sequence regarding DNR
How does one decide the steps that should be taken with respect to attempts to resuscitate a patient who experiences cardiac or respiratory arrest, and when to follow or not follow the patient’s previously declared wish not to be resuscitated? Watch this video to find out.
Do not resuscitate - What does it mean to older adults?
The ethical guidelines concerning end-of-life decisions are based on the patient’s desires. While they might not have the option of choosing active efforts to help them die, they do have the right to refuse care. At the same time, new technologies can extend life and so debate arose as to the ethics of this situation. So, what does Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) actually means?
Making end of life care matter
Deb Wilkes | TEDxSouthampton
There is a lot of uncertainty about death, and the uncertainty makes most of us uncomfortable. Yet, there are few guarantees about life, but one certainty is that we will all die, but typically we do not know when. But while we are alive, even if it is near the end of life, there are way that make the process less uncomfortable. Should we understand more about dying processes and what we would want from and for others? Should we be sharing these thoughts with our family and close others?
Ezekiel Emanuel
In an article in The Atlantic, Ezekiel Emanuel wrote a fascinating piece on the difficulties associated with ageing. The age of 75 was an arbitrary one, and he is really talking about conditions wherein a person’s deterioration makes for poor quality of life, becomes a burden to others, and besides, he wants to be remembered as being the way he was during the good times. In this interview he describes his view. He is one of the smartest people around, and it is definitely worthwhile listening to what he has to say.
Care: A different voice in healthcare
Timothy Ihrig at TEDxDesMoines
Palliative care is so very important and being a palliative care physician is one of the toughest jobs around, but it can also be rewarding as strange as that might sound. Listen to Timothy Ihrig give his views on this topic. There is too much emphasis on technology and all sorts of other stuff, and too much is done to old people and too little for them. There are ways to improve the situation as Dr Ihrig describes. The situation in the US in taking care of its older people is not impressive making me that much more grateful to live in Canada.
Gian Domenico Borasio | TEDxCHUV
This exceptional talk will tell you what palliative care is and why it can be rewarding. The aim of palliative care is to enhance quality of care for people with incurable illnesses. But this is not always as simple as it sounds. Listen carefully so that you will understand ‘Calman’s Gap’, the gap between an individual's aspirations and actual experience, and how this influences the dying process. This is among the most compelling talks on this subject I have ever heard.