Last year, a colleague in Toronto told me about a very effective program in New York City.  A group of doctors do home care of housebound elderly, out of the largest organized home care facility in the United States, run by the Mount Sinai Practice Associates. I’m planning on visiting them sometime this year. Particularly inspirational for me it was their video entitled “Doctor in the House”.  You can take a look at it here.

I had the thrilling privilege of addressing the combined nursing and physicians’ homecare groups in New York City the evening of June 22, 2011. One of the things I found most interesting after the question period following my talk was that many of the most pressing and stubborn problems experienced in New York (and I think all over the United States) are very similar to the ones we have here in Canada. The two health care systems differ mainly in who or what actually pays the money. But communication among professionals, with families, and from hospital to community are a challenge everywhere, and so is the overall public mindset about the end of our lives.

Fascinating! I’ll be going back to New York in September, and hope to see some more of the Mount Sinai home care program firsthand.