BJ Miller: What really matters at the end of life
BJ Miller: Det der betyder mest ved livets slutning
Using empathy and a clear-eyed view of mortality, BJ Miller shines a light on healthcare’s most ignored facet: preparing for death. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
at vågne op til.
fortælle dig det.
efter Thanksgiving -
were horsing around,
a parked commuter train.
på et parkeret lokaltog.
with the wires that run overhead.
spændt ud ovenover.
like a great idea at the time.
ind i min arm -
and that was that.
Det var så det.
with death -- my death --
et formelt forhold med døden. Min død.
my long run as a patient.
of dysfunction --
positive aspekter.
a hospice and palliative medicine doc,
med palliativ behandling på et hospice -
fra begge sider.
who goes into healthcare
der vil være i faget -
are also unwitting agents
er også intetanende repræsentanter -
does not serve.
answer to that question,
with diseases, not people, at its center.
sygdomme, ikke mennesker.
it was badly designed.
of bad design more heartbreaking
dårligt design så hjerteskærende -
for good design more compelling
design så vigtig -
and concentrated.
to reach out across disciplines
at nå ud over disciplinerne -
into this big conversation.
i dette store emne.
og kreativitet -
opportunity in front of us,
mulighed foran os -
få universelle spørgsmål -
hvordan vi dør.
about death isn't being dead,
skræmmende ved døden ikke døden selv.
it can be very helpful
kan det hjælpe -
which is necessary as it is,
der ikke kan gøres noget ved -
essential part of life, part of the deal,
essentiel del af livet. En del af aftalen.
to make space, adjust, grow.
for at indordne os og tage til lære.
to realize forces larger than ourselves.
at der er noget større end os selv.
became fact, fixed --
reject this fact than reject myself.
denne del af mig selv.
but I learned it eventually.
about necessary suffering
ved nødvendige lidelser er, -
is where healing happens.
at helbredelsen finder sted.
as we learned yesterday --
Bogstavelig talt, hvad vi lærte i går.
on the other hand,
is unnecessary, invented.
unødvendig og opfundet.
since this brand of suffering is made up,
Fordi disse lidelser er opfundne -
something we can affect.
to this fundamental distinction
denne fundamentale forskel -
and unnecessary suffering
og unødvendige lidelser -
design cues for the day.
når det gælder design.
as people who care,
som mennesker, der føler empati -
not add to the pile.
ikke at forværre dem.
of a reflective advocate,
reflekterende forkæmper -
en ordinerende læge.
men misforstået område.
important field but poorly understood --
begrænset til, at pleje folk i døden.
limited to end of life care.
til hospicepleje.
and living well at any stage.
i enhver fase af livet.
have to be dying anytime soon
on top of long-standing HIV.
sammen med langvarige HIV.
hans smerter og træthed -
out loud together about his life --
højt sammen om hans liv...
his losses as they roll in,
som de kommer strømmende -
the next moment.
but regret, quite another.
out of a Norman Rockwell painting --
fra et Norman Rockwell maleri...
when he came into clinic one day,
da han kom ind på klinikken -
down the Colorado River.
ned ad Coloradofloden.
and his health, some would say no.
og helbred, ville nogle sige nej.
while he still could.
mens han stadig kunne.
scorpions, snakes,
skorpioner, slanger -
of the Grand Canyon --
de voldsomme klippevægge...
beyond our control.
uden for vores kontrol.
so many of us would make,
what is best for ourselves over time.
ud af, hvad der er bedst for os over tid.
is a shift in perspective.
er et skift i perspektiv.
when I went back to college,
til kunsthistorie.
I'd learn something about how to see --
noget om, hvordan man observerer...
for a kid who couldn't change
der ikke kunne forandre -
we humans get to play with,
vi mennesker kan lege med, -
at an amazing place in San Francisco
på et fantastisk sted -
that helps with this shift in perspective.
der hjælper med dette skift i perspektiv.
wheeling the body out through the garden,
ruller afdøde ud gennem haven -
nurses, volunteers,
sygeplejere, frivillige -
en sang eller stilhed -
with flower petals.
to usher in grief with warmth,
at indlede sorg med varme -
in the hospital setting,
i hospitalsomgivelser:
lined with tubes and beeping machines
slanger og bippende maskiner -
even when the patient's life has.
selv når patienten er død.
the body's whisked away,
og fører den døde krop væk -
had never really existed.
personen aldrig har eksisteret.
in the name of sterility,
within those walls is numbness --
inden for de vægge, er følelsesløshed...
the opposite of aesthetic.
det modsatte af æstetik.
I am alive because of them.
de kan. Det er derfor, jeg er i live.
meget af hospitalerne.
and treatable illness.
that's not what they were designed for.
Sådan blev de ikke udtænkt.
giving up on the notion
can become more humane.
mere humane.
på en brandsårsafdeling -
in Livingston, New Jersey,
great care at every turn,
rigtig god pleje hver gang, -
palliative care for my pain.
for mine smerter.
complaining about driving through it.
fordi de skulle køre hjem i det.
coming down all sticky.
hvordan sneen faldt.
smuggled in a snowball for me.
en snebold ind til mig.
holding that in my hand,
onto my burning skin;
på min brændende hud -
and turn into water.
den smelte til vand.
in this universe mattered more to me
en del af universet.
end om jeg levede eller døde.
all the inspiration I needed
and be OK if I did not.
acceptere døden.
I've known many people
gennem årene kendt mange -
some final peace or transcendence,
ro eller ophøjethed -
by what their lives had become --
over det, deres liv var blevet til.
living with chronic and terminal illness,
med kroniske og uheldbredelige sygdomme -
or prepared for this silver tsunami.
denne sølv tsunami.
dynamic enough to handle
dynamisk nok til at klare -
something new, something vital.
noget nyt og livsvigtigt.
for designers of all stripes to work with.
som alle type designere kan arbejde med.
who are closer to death:
der er tættest på døden er:
and unburdening to those they love;
være til byrde for sine elskede.
of wonderment and spirituality.
forundring og spiritualitet.
from our residents in subtle detail.
vores beboere i små detaljer.
one day to the next due to ALS.
trække vejret grundet ALS.
while she has them.
mens hun har dem.
at the foot of her bed,
i fodenden af sengen -
mod hendes tørre hud -
coursing through her veins --
gennem hendes årer...
where in a moment, in an instant,
hvor vi i et kort øjeblik belønnes, -
loving our time by way of the senses,
og mærke livet med vores sanser -
doing the living and the dying.
føler livet og døden.
is our kitchen,
er vores køkken, -
can eat very little, if anything at all.
spiser meget lidt, hvis overhovedet.
sustenance on several levels:
forplejning på mange niveauer:
happening under our roof,
der udføres under vores tag, -
interventions we know of,
interventioner, vi kender til, -
the possibility of accessing
for at få adgang -
at føle os menneskelige, forbundne.
living and dying with dementia.
der lever og dør med demens.
the things we don't have words for,
der siger de ting, vi ikke har ord for.
of the system was our first design cue,
var vores første punk ift. design -
by way of the senses,
the aesthetic realm --
den æstetiske sfære, -
and final bit for today;
til tredje og sidste del:
to set our sights on well-being,
justere vores perspektiv på trivsel.
more wonderful,
livet mere fantastisk -
lige i forskellen -
or human-centered model of care,
og menneskecentreret plejemodel.
becomes a creative, generative,
kreativ, skabende -
highest forms of adaptation.
former for tilpasning.
it takes to be human.
det kræver at være menneske.
has given rise to architecture.
anledning til arkitektur.
is a necessary part of life,
we take a light approach to dying
vi skal vælge en nem tilgang til døden, -
any particular way of dying.
særlig måde at dø på.
that cannot move,
der ikke kan flyttes, -
we will all kneel there.
til at knæle netop der.
to play itself all the way out --
livet udspille sig hele vejen, -
getting out of the way,
at komme af vejen -
a process of crescendo through to the end.
en proces af ære til det sidste.
one way or another.
på en eller anden måde.
around this fact,
omkring denne kendsgerning -
at det har været en befrielse -
a shock of beauty or meaning
af skønhed eller mening -
for a perfect moment,
der varede en perfekt stund, -
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
BJ Miller - Palliative care physicianUsing empathy and a clear-eyed view of mortality, BJ Miller shines a light on healthcare’s most ignored facet: preparing for death.
Why you should listen
Palliative care specialist BJ Miller helps patients face their own deaths realistically, comfortably, and on their own terms. Miller is cultivating a model for palliative care organizations around the world, and emphasizing healthcare’s quixotic relationship to the inevitability of death. He is a hospice and palliative medicine physician and sees patients and families at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Miller’s passion for palliative care stems from personal experience -- a shock sustained while a Princeton undergraduate cost him three limbs and nearly killed him. But his experiences form the foundation of a hard-won empathy for patients who are running out of time.
BJ Miller | Speaker | TED.com