The Antidote to Suffering: How Compassionate Connected Care Can Improve Safety, Quality, and Experience

CHAPTER8A Compassionate Connected Healthcare Industry

EARLY IN THIS book, I described my own experiences as a patient and as a family member of patients. In this final chapter, I’d like to tell you a bit about my mother-in-law, Norma. She is 85 years old, but sadly, not a “young” 85. A retired nurse, she smoked and struggled with her weight for decades, eating a diet rich in high-calorie, fried foods. Such a diet was the norm where she lived, part of the culture. My husband recalls that when we were first dating and my mother invited him over for dinner, she served alfalfa sprouts. “I had never seen them before,” he says. “I thought it was grass. ...