From the Heart – A Relative's Perspective
Changing Minds Conference 2009
In this very moving personal reflection Fr Michael McCabe, Director of the Nathaniel Centre offers insights into “the reality of changing minds,” and the challenges and graces that are there for those families of persons with dementia who live out “the long-goodbye.”
From the Heart – A Physician's Perspective
Changing Minds Conference 2009
In another moving and personal reflection Dr Sinead Donnelly, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, uses the medium of story to illustrate the importance of “the exquisite character of listening' and the need to “listen with the whole of oneself.” “Listening is a form of touch and viewed in that way is central to how we treat others with dignity and respect.”
Michael McCabe interviews Professor Erny Gillen, a lecturer in Moral Theology and Bioethics from Luxembourg about the legalizing of euthanasia in that country, palliative care, and the needs of the dying to experience solidarity. “Euthanasia is not a solution, euthanasia is a threat and, as a threat, it should not be offered to anyone.”
“When did You Last See Your Father?”
Understanding Family in New Zealand
This article, by Dr Michael McCabe, follows on from an earlier Nathaniel Report article on the changing nature of family demographics in New Zealand. The changing reality of family life and other cultural developments are influencing patient care at the end of life. It is, however, equally important to understand “the framing event” within a patient's narrative.
Reflections of a Pastor
What lessons are there for us to learn from the 1946 Nuremburg Trials? In this reflection Monsignor John Carde muses that “all the attitudes of the Nazi era are still alive and well today.” It is not for us to decide that a life is not worth living.