About
In a culture that celebrates those who can proclaim victo those who care for loved ones when a cure may not be possible?
In a culture that considers technology and objectivity as ideal types of care, who speaks to the spouses, daughters, sons, and friends who care armed only with the comfort of their presence?
After his mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis and before her death, Zachary lived under the influence of dying when he cared for his mother in person. Totally unprepared for the experience of caring when the best trained specialists and doctors said there was nothing more they could do for his mother, Zachary’s insights and research are written for you, the unprepared caregiver, who cares…
- without expertise in medicine or nursing
- unprotected by the mask of objectivity
- despite being misunderstood by well wishers
- in the privacy of your own anguish
- feeling alone, on the other side of hope
Dr. Zachary White (@Zmwhite) is an Assistant Professor of Communication. He received his Ph.D. in communication from Purdue University. His academic research and teaching focus on how people manage meaning and communicate their experiences amidst high levels of ambiguity. He has published and presented academic research addressing health communication as encountered by medical providers, informal caregivers, family members, and organizational employees. He teaches university courses at the graduate and undergraduate level addressing topics including provider-patient communication, health and illness narratives, digital health literacy, interpersonal communication and relationship development on and offline, online social support and disclosure, the management of health-related disclosures in the workplace, and sense making amidst life transitions.
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