A NEW WAY TO USE A BLOG~

The other night I was at work and spoke with the daughter of one of my patients. She expressed frustration over trying to keep family and her dad's friends informed of his progress.

The proverbial light bulb lit up in my brain and I had an idea that I suggested to her that I thought I'd share. I told her, "Why not use a blog?"

As I thought about it more, I knew this could be a useful tool for many of our patient's family members to use and here's why:

1)Think of how therapeutic it will be for her. She'll be able to write about daily events, expressing the emotions she's been experiencing. To say this family has been on an emotional roller coaster would not even cover the stress that they are under.

2)This will be a great way for her to keep track of information. Often times, when our loved ones struggle on the brink of death, the shock and turmoil they are going through doesn't allow them to process key pieces of information the health care team gives them about how a patient is progressing. The different procedures, treatments, terminology often will overload an already overwhelmed family.

Writing down this information at the time, and then posting it to a blog, will help them remember it later. When they are ready, they'll be able to go over the information in greater detail and may even have questions.

3)Having a referral site to send people to will decrease the amount of phone calls. You're already stressed and overwhelmed. Saying and thinking about the same things over and over can drain your energy, making it difficult to keep a positive attitude.

4)Friends and Family can leave comments on your posts. Get well wishes and other supportive words can be empowering. Channel that energy and hope. Share it with the patient. Not only will it lift your spirits, but you could lift the spirits of the person who needs it most.

God Bless,
Kathleen