MOVING ON

This afternoon, my patient Mr Brecht died. I first got the news from a phone call from one of the other caregivers. I then got another call from another caregiver who has taken care of him for over 2 years. We chatted for a long while on the phone. I also got a text message from one of his former caregivers who was instrumental for me to do this gig which I had on a part-time basis for over a year. Life suddenly just stops, without us getting better prepared for its departure. Who really knows when exactly the moment someone dies? I didn't even had the chance to bid him goodbye on my way out this afternoon after I was done with my gig for his wife. I figured out somehow, based on the past few weeks that I was with him that he'd be dying soon; he was simply refusing to eat food. Perhaps, he just had so much difficulties taking in food, this life giving substance that then was turning into a terrible ordeal to ingest. There were other signs. Signs that I recall seeing from my la...

Watching John Walter's "Theater of War" see parts of it on YouTube! at this year's Tribeca Film Festival brought me a different level of appreciation and understanding on how to better handle the requirements of one of my patients. more about them here! I do part-time caregiving assignments, among other part time jobs as a Freelancer. As such, I'd be doing this mostly on weekends for one of the children of the playwright, Bertolt Brecht, about him here! the monumental theatre figure who was the topic of Walter's documentary mentioned earlier. The movie also brought out much needed perspective on the 2007 staging of Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children" in Central Park, NYT's review here! where people lined up to watch Meryll Streep playing the lead role. I accompanied my patient, with his loving wife (herself, an accomplished clothes designer and retailer), son and his family (including 3 small children) to a well attended screen...