Bruyère conference aimed at humanizing health care and enhancing lives
When Guy Chartrand, president and CEO of Bruyère Continuing Care, introduced speaker Dr. Brian Goldman at Bruyère’s Humanizing Healthcare International Conference, he called him “the doctor who thinks like a patient.”
The conference was held Oct. 18-20 at the Fairmont Château Laurier. Dr. Goldman, host of CBC’s White Coat, Black Art, was speaking about his personal journey and his search for kindness. “I used to speak from the head,” he said, “and now I speak from the heart.
“We are hardwired to be empathetic,” he said. “Empathy is prosocial” other than the exceptions who are narcissists, psychopaths, sociopaths and Machiavellians.
“Cognitive empathy is about the ability to put yourself in someone’s situation and act accordingly,” he said, but there are many reasons why health care professionals have difficulty doing that, such as a medical culture that does not prize empathy. When they care for patients they can be tired, distracted and defensive because they hate to be criticized. The system itself is specialized and so specialists can say ‘it’s not my problem.’ ”
Goldman said an empathetic health care program would ask families what they would want for patient and family-centred care, and health care employees would be asked what they would want to fix.
Another speaker, Bill Dawson, 94, gave advice on retirement. The former construction CEO, entrepreneur and inventor finally retired at age 89 and began volunteering at Bruyère Continuing Care.
“Retirement is the beginning of a new life,” he said. “Some people retire and don’t know what to do.” Here’s what he advises them to consider:
Think of your dream in life before work. With your retirement choices, “If Monday isn’t the best day of the week, don’t take the job.”
Education: “You’re never too old to learn. There are courses at universities and colleges, and you don’t have to take an exam.”
Get into sports. “As a retiree you have to get out into the world. As an older person, I want to see dogs and children,” he said, scoffing about retirement homes “out in the ’burbs.”
Write your autobiography. “Your children want to know your failures and your successes.”
Create a life for yourself. “Do something for five days each week.” Dawson goes to the YMCA early every morning to swim or exercise.
“The really important thing about retirement is to get yourself in good health.” Dawson takes no medication and he says he has no aches and pains.
Another speaker was Ole Kassow, founder of Cycling Without Age in Copenhagen, Denmark, who told his audience to put on their imaginary “superhero glasses” and spot opportunities to be kind. He now has a network of 8,000 volunteer “pilots” taking seniors for trishaw rides in 450 cities in 38 countries. The result is improved quality of life and livability, less medicine, improved mental health and more trust in our communities, he said.
The contact for Cycling Without Age Ottawa is Gary Bradshaw, cwaottawacanada@gmail.com. “There are three trishaws in Ottawa and one in Winchester,” he said, and more volunteer pilots are needed.
Dr. Goldman was also part of a panel discussion on Preventing and Managing Chronic Disease, along with Dawson and Jennifer Harris, regional manager, CVD Prevention and Rehabilitation Outreach at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.
Dr. Goldman said that $3 of every $4 spent on health care is spent on chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, cancer and respiratory diseases. “Patients are becoming more complex every month. The older we get, the more chronic conditions we have. That’s the bad news.”
The good news is that, “seniors with no chronic conditions live a good, long life. Prevention is your best bet for a healthy, long life.” That entails managing your risk factors: Exercise 30 minutes a day Limit sugar and alcohol Stop smoking Bill Dawson echoed Dr. Goldman that “you have to take responsibility for your own health” and not rely on your doctor to do it.