Juliana Fort
LSU Health Shreveport, USA
Title: Using narrative medicine to promote care for families with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Dementia or Mad Cow. An experiential overview
Biography
Biography: Juliana Fort
Abstract
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare illness, with no cure, that has devastating consequences with an average life expectancy of 6 month from diagnosis to death. Because of the rarity of the illness, it is quite unusual to find any family interventions or support for family members navigating the trajectory of the illness period. The one article that was found in which family support had been set up involved only two patients' families because of the rarity of the illness. Narrative Medicine, which is storytelling around personal experiences that caregivers or providers may experience has been shown to increase empathy This presentation will be a personal narrative sharing of a psychiatrist's experience with her mother's Creutzfeldt Jakob disease. It is a story that while a little sad, is mainly uplifting.
What will the audience learn from your virtual video presentation?
The objectives will be to discuss interventions that may be beneficial to family members, such as helping them understand likely outcomes and the need for palliative care and planning around the death process. The objective will be to discuss the role of trauma in the expression of Creutzfeldt Jakob disease based on the psychiatrist's personal experience and to discuss attitudinal and spiritual aspects surrounding the death process that influence whether the experience is experience as positive or negative.