A Caring Life

As a nurse for nearly fifty years, Keith Cox provided expert care and comfort to countless people facing the unimaginable. With insight and sensitivity, A Caring Life takes us behind the scenes of his remarkable nursing career and the moving stories of hope, determination and loss that underpinned it. Along the way, he shares lessons gained from a career spent confronting mortality, from finding joy in difficult circumstances to understanding that true strength comes in thinking of others and being part of a community. Over the years, Keith has seen dramatic advances in medical treatment, as well as the limits of what medical intervention can achieve - which is why compassion and grace are his guiding principles, both on the ward and in his own life. A Caring Life is the inspirational story of a nursing trailblazer who has learnt firsthand the value of human connection and kindness, in challenging times and in everyday life - and the satisfaction of living a life of service and meaning. Praise for A Caring Life 'A Caring Life is an appropriate testimony to one of this country's silent heroes. His empathy, knowledge and gentle grace have become hallmarks in the compassionate treatment and care of cancer patients.' - Anthony Warlow AM 'A firsthand account of those dealing with cancer is presented here as a reminder to us that at times of despair, we are not alone.' - Max Cullen 'Keith Cox is the angel you'd hope to have by your bedside when it matters most, that humane and reassuring presence when illness turns the world upside down.' - Matthew Condon

Globally, the health sector faces significant demands for reform and improvement to meet the needs of the 21st Century. To achieve that goal, highly sophisticated and capable leaders are required across all dimensions of the health system. This book describes the key challenges that demand reform, why better leadership is the source code for better system performance, and the issues that stand in the way of getting that leadership. It includes substantive treatment of the modern democratic challenges that healthcare leaders face; and the essence of what it means to be a leader in today’s world. The essence of leadership itself is described, and the case made for the need for people to use the workplace as the place to develop leadership rather than relying solely on formal programs. It will also outline a self-directed learning process that any individual leader—citizen, clinician, or senior executive—can use to develop their own leadership capability, and thus become more active as a leader of change. This book addresses the need for leaders to think on a system-wide scale. A second part of the book focuses primarily on the Canadian Health system and LEADS in a Caring Environment capabilities framework, and the link between LEADS and frameworks in Australia and the UK. LEADS was developed through a partnership between members of the Healthcare Leaders Association of British Columbia and the Canadian College of Health Leaders, the Canadian Health Leadership Network and Royal Roads University. Currently it is stewarded by a not-for-profit collaboration that has endorsed LEADS as an evidence-informed set of national expectations for Canadian health leaders. LEADS has been endorsed by many health organizations in almost all provinces in Canada as a foundation for their talent management programs in leadership (development and succession planning). The book will address the research foundations for the LEADS framework; how it was developed; the framework’s contents; its congruence with other national frameworks, and how LEADS can be used as a model to envisage and plan change.

A look at the concept of caring interspersed with stories from the author's own life.

Martha Stewart’s engaging handbook for living your healthiest life after 40—with expertise from doctors and specialists on eating, exercise, wellness, home, and organizing, as well as caring for others. Martha Stewart’s Living the Good Long Life is a practical guide unlike any other: honest and upbeat, with clear and motivating charts, resources, and tips from doctors and wellness specialists. From the best ways to organize your home to protecting your mental well-being and appearance as you age, this book gives accessible ideas that you can incorporate every day. And when it’s time to explore caregiving for others, you’ll know how to enrich their quality of life while preventing your own fatigue. Martha’s 10 Golden Rules for Successful Aging provide a framework for chapters that cover your changing needs with every decade, including: -Healthy Eating: Stock a healthy pantry for your dietary needs. -Healthy Fitness: Stand strong on your feet by increasing your balance, endurance, and flexibility. -A Healthy Brain: Stimulate new brain activity to prevent memory loss. -A Healthy Outlook: Maintain a sense of daily purpose by strengthening social connections. -Healthy Living Every Day: Medicate wisely while paying attention to aches and pains. -Healthy Looks: Take care of your skin and match your makeup to your age. -Healthy Home: Create a home that is a reflection of how you want to live. -Healthy Living into the Future: Be your own wellness CEO to prevent future illness. -Healthy Caring: Prepare for helping others while caring for yourself, and much more! Healthy living begins with establishing small habits, and with Living the Good Long Life you’ll have a dependable source for thriving in your 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. "In my Foundation’s health initiatives—and in my own life—I’ve seen again and again how even small measures to improve your health can make a big difference. Living the Good Long Life is full of simple ideas that can be incorporated into daily routines to help you feel better and keep on doing what you love." —President Bill Clinton "For thirty years, Martha Stewart has carefully coached us on how to take care of our homes, our menus, our crafts. And now in Living the Good Long Life, she has brought her brilliant skills to the mission of helping us take care of ourselves. With sparkling prose, no-nonsense instruction, and, as always, oceans of wisdom, Martha implores readers not to recoil from their advancing years, but to embrace and celebrate them—with invaluable tips on keeping our diets healthy, our bodies pumping, and our outlook forever sunny. I just loved this book." —Marlo Thomas

As a nurse for nearly 50 years, Keith Cox provided expert care and comfort to countless people facing the unimaginable. With insight and sensitivity, A Caring Life takes us behind the scenes of his remarkable nursing career and the moving stories of hope, determination and loss that underpinned it. Along the way, he shares lessons gained from a career spent confronting mortality, from finding joy in difficult circumstances to understanding that true strength comes in thinking of others and being part of a community. Over the years, Keith has seen dramatic advances in medical treatment, as well as the limits of what medical intervention can achieve - which is why compassion and grace are his guiding principles, both on the ward and in his own life. A Caring Life is the inspirational story of a nursing trailblazer who has learnt firsthand the value of human connection and kindness, in challenging times and in everyday life - and the satisfaction of living a life of service and meaning.

A palliative care doctor on the front lines of hospital care illuminates one of the most important and controversial ethical issues of our time on his quest to transform care through the end of life. It is harder to die in this country than ever before. Statistics show that the vast majority of Americans would prefer to die at home, yet many of us spend our last days fearful and in pain in a healthcare system ruled by high-tech procedures and a philosophy to "fight disease and illness at all cost." Dr. Ira Byock, one of the foremost palliative-care physicians in the country, argues that end-of-life care is among the biggest national crises facing us today. In addressing the crisis, politics has trumped reason. Dr. Byock explains that to ensure the best possible care for those we love-and eventually ourselves- we must not only remake our healthcare system, we must also move past our cultural aversion to talking about death and acknowledge the fact of mortality once and for all. Dr. Byock describes what palliative care really is, and-with a doctor's compassion and insight-puts a human face on the issues by telling richly moving, heart-wrenching, and uplifting stories of real people during the most difficult moments in their lives. Byock takes us inside his busy, cutting-edge academic medical center to show what the best care at the end of life can look like and how doctors and nurses can profoundly shape the way families experience loss. Like books by Atul Gawande and Jerome Groopman, The Best Care Possible is a compelling meditation on medicine and ethics told through page-turning, life or death medical drama. It is passionate and timely, and it has the power to lead a new kind of national conversation.

Underlines the importance of well-being in old age and offers practical advice on how to maintain a happy and fulfilling life, whatever the challenges.

Hauer offers hope and practical coping strategies in equal measure.