Overview

Karen Severson, M.D., has spent the last twenty years as a Geriatric Psychiatrist wandering the halls of those dreaded destinations called nursing homes. She became mentally exhausted from watching people with Alzheimer's disease decline and suffer. She wrote about the unnecessary suffering caused by doctors, nurses, and families who are on totally different pages regarding end-of-life issues. She realized doctors tend to avoid these conversations and families can remain in extended denial of dementia. This book is intended to help families understand dementia and its associated behaviors in a down to earth manner. Dr. Severson uses a great deal of humor as not to scare people from the subject. She also discusses several other important issues, but mainly how we can better allow families to learn to let go of those with end-stage illness. Dr. Severson hopes to prevent unnecessary and potentially harmful medical interventions as well as allow more geriatric patients to die in peace.

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9781620067529

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KAREN SEVERSON, M.D., was raised near the University of Connecticut in Storrs, famously known for cow tipping during down times. She grew up with her mother, father, and four siblings. They all played sports and had some wicked good snowball fights. She went to Ithaca College to become a Physical Education teacher. After hating that major and switching to a Biology nerd, Dr. Severson went into medical school on advice from a Chemistry teacher. He said she had a good memory! Dr. Severson's world changed after her mother developed breast cancer and died in medical school at the University of Connecticut. She really was impacted by her death and suffering and swore it would not be in vain. Dr. Severson later went to Brown University to complete her Psychiatry Residency training. She decided early she wanted to help the elderly and spent even more time completing a Fellowship in Geriatric Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. The next 20 years of her life was spent treating elderly in hospitals and nursing homes. Dr. Severson never stopped thinking about how to make the lives of people suffering from terminal illness better. She had to write this book before she herself died. Dr. Severson is married to an amazing wife with three daughters and she makes sure to teach them girl power daily. She still plays flag football, tae kwon do, and soccer, but needs to tone it down. She keeps breaking bones! Dr. Severson works more in the addiction field now, wanting to try to save young lives. One day she will retire in that Woodstock Nursing home, always trying to laugh and have a good time.

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