Blog - Ricki Lewis

Genetic Linkage

A Good Death, the Hospice Way

July 13, 2012

I stood among her things, piled on the bed, a scene that always astonishes me. For this is what many people are reduced to at the end: after a series of downsizings, a small pile of stuff.

This morning I drove up to what’s left of the Glendale Nursing Home, in Glenville NY, a mile from my home. The series of connected old buildings is still intact, a backdrop to a new gaping hole that will give forth to a new facility. But for now, the (more…)

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"Dignity Therapy" Paper Ignores Hospice

July 10, 2011

Tags: dignity therapy, Harvey Max Chochinov, Sarah Palin, death panels, bioethics, hospice, Ricki Lewis, Glenn Nichols, Community Hospice, ALS, end-of-life care, palliative care, hospice volunteer, Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture, When Evening Comes, When Autumn Comes

”Dignity therapy" is a “novel psychotherapeutic approach” that gives patients with a 6-month life expectancy “an opportunity to reflect on things that matter most to them or that they would most want remembered.” In these days of medical experts such as Sarah Palin equating reimbursed end-of-life discussions to death panels killing granny, an outcomes evaluation of any such intervention is essential. (more…)

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Selected Works

Book Club Reader's Guide

The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It

Many challenging questions to stimulate thought and discussion.

Instructor's Guide

The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It

38 discussion questions to get students thinking and talking about gene therapy, including the science, ethical issues, and the drug approval process.

Narrative science

The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy & the Boy Who Saved It

The Forever Fix is the uplifting true story of 8-year-old Corey Haas, who was cured of hereditary blindness just 4 days after gene therapy.

College Textbooks

Hole's Human Anatomy and Physiology

A spectacularly-illustrated, clearly written human anatomy and physiology textbook, used in pre-health profession programs throughout the U.S.

Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications

A highly engaging, clearly written, beautifully illustrated introduction to the science of human genetics for the non-scientist. Now in its 10th edition.

Nonfiction

Human Genetics: The Basics

DNA reflects who we are -- but it isn’t the whole story.