Welcome to our blog

The time has come,
The walrus said
To talk of many things …
Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking Glass

There is nothing harder, sadder or more solitary than being the caregiver for a loved one who is failing. Whether it is the seemingly interminable suffering of a cherished husband or wife who struggles with Alzheimers or the sudden robbery of a stroke or heart attack, caregivers are charged with the physical care and emotional nurture of someone who was once their healthy, active life partner. Your household, your schedule, your entire life is subject to sudden upset and change. You may be struggling with illness, yourself. You may feel overwhelmed by the tasks you are now asked to assume. Worst of all, you know that no matter how hard you work, no matter how fervently you pray, no matter how deeply you love … this is not a battle you are likely to win. Throughout this entire affair you must also keep your own soul alive as you confront the pain of the great good-bye.

This web site is for you. It is here that you will find some comfort, some solace and be able to make some small sense of all this chaos and grief. Every week we will post a new article written for you to inform you, support you and, hopefully, lift your spirits to go on one more day.

Who are we?
We are medical and mental health professionals with many years of experience working with terminally ill patients and their families. We are also friends who have ourselves suffered personal losses and have walked the difficult road you are now traveling.

Pam Umann, MSW
Pam is a medical social worker with a specialization in life threatening illness. Pam has worked in a variety of settings including hospitals, home care agencies and hospice organizations. Pam is a certified hypnotherapist and a Reiki practitioner. In addition to her work in medical settings, she has developed and facilitated support groups, weekend retreats and ongoing classes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and Monterey Bay area to help people identify and access the strength of their own spiritual natures.

Jerry Griffin, MD, PharmD
Jerry was the Medical Director for Visiting Nurses Hospice of Salinas Valley Memorial Health Care District and Hospice of the Central Coast for many years. He has a big heart for terminally ill patients and the families/caretakers of these special people. He is also a retired Army doctor, and was a pharmacology professor in his earlier professional life. Terminal and palliative care has become a truly satisfying part of his medical practice.

You are here, too
We will also be hosting chat sessions and open forums for you to share with us and with each other and to draw strength from developing relationships with other caregivers. We will be happy to post your thoughts and to respond personally to your comments and questions. On the right side of this page you will find our email links. We look forward to hearing from you.

Please check back weekly for new postings and new topics for discussion and please participate with your ideas, thoughts and suggestions. In the end, this web site is more yours than ours.

Till next week –

Pam and Jerry