In memory of my father’s death 50 years ago.
Author: Marianna Crane
After a long career in nursing--I was one of the first certified gerontological nurse practitioners--I am now a writer. My writings center around patients I have had over the years that continue to haunt my memory unless I record their stories. In addition, I write about growing older, confronting ageism, creativity and food.
My memoir, "Stories from the Tenth Floor Clinic: A Nurse Practitioner Remembers" is available where ever books are sold.
Cardiac Advances Versus Patient Benefit: A Moral Dilemma
My story, Closing the Door, recently published in Stories That Need to be Told: A Tulip Tree Anthology, tells of the emergence some fifty years ago of cardiac catheterization, artificial heart valves and cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how I, as a young nurse, had to make sense of the advancement of technology versus patient benefit. This…… Continue reading Cardiac Advances Versus Patient Benefit: A Moral Dilemma
Happy Lasagna Day
My husband and I are spending Thanksgiving alone—by choice. We had been invited out but graciously declined. After having three sets of houseguests in six weeks, we are happy to be alone. By the way, the house has never been cleaner. And we broke from the traditional Thanksgiving dinner—we…… Continue reading Happy Lasagna Day
80 year-old male model
As a retired gerontological nurse practitioner and a woman dealing with my own aging, I am always happy to read about successful aging. This one comes all the way from China. I hope you enjoy 80 year-old Wang Deshun’s story as much as I did. An 80-Year-Old Model Reshapes China’s Views on Aging …… Continue reading 80 year-old male model
TRICK OR TREAT AT THE FRONT DOOR; HEARSE AT THE BACK
Originally posted on Getting Older: Charting the Uncharted:
I have been pestering my classmates from nursing school (we are about to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary next month) to write their stories so I can post them on my blog. Maybe pestering is too mild a word. Regardless, I have succeeded. Two women have sent me…
The Gray Area of Nursing: Being Uncertain of One’s “Moral Role.”
Here’s a great example how one nurse saved a patient’s life. Speaking Up to Save a Life by Diane Szulecki, Associate Editor American Journal of Nursing October 2016 – Volume 116 – Issue 10 – p 68–69 Abstract A nurse’s advocacy alters the path of a patient with locked-in syndrome. On a…… Continue reading The Gray Area of Nursing: Being Uncertain of One’s “Moral Role.”
The Compliment
Two weeks ago I flew to Sioux Falls to visit my good friend, Lois, in her new home. She and her husband left a Chicago condo off Michigan Avenue facing the lake to settle in a small town with less excitement than a big city. That weekend we attended the South Dakota Annual Festival…… Continue reading The Compliment
Unsolved Mystery?
Originally posted on Getting Older: Charting the Uncharted:
This happened long ago. I worked for a hospital-based home care program. We, nurse practitioners, received referrals from physicians who had exhausted all options to prolong the patients’ life. We visited the patient in his home and helped the family care for him until death. Traditional hospice…
WHAT DOES AGE HAVE TO DO WITH IT?
Originally posted on Getting Older: Charting the Uncharted:
I made an ageist comment. It didn’t seem ageist at the time. I was sitting in the second row of a packed room at Flyleaf Bookstore in Chapel Hill as Pat Schneider finished reading from her new book, How The Light Gets In. I came to hear…
A Hospice Nurse is Featured in The New Yorker
Larissa MacFarquhar is a staff writer for the New Yorker. She has written profiles on “do-gooders,” people whose altruistic acts “spring from genuine empathy.” Her subjects are varied: Quentin Tarantino, Diane von Furstenberg and Paul Krugman. Most recently she spotlighted Heather Meyerend, not a famous person, but a nurse. Her story starts on page 62…… Continue reading A Hospice Nurse is Featured in The New Yorker
Getting Older: Charting the Uncharted 