Navigating My Father's Alzheimer's as a Doctor | Sandeep Jauhar, MD

Navigating the unforgiving hours and ethical challenges of medical training while holding onto humanism; the medical and cultural history of the human heart; the moving journey of a doctor as he wrestles with his duties as a son and caregiver for a father with dementia. These are just some of the diverse subject matters our guest in this episode, Sandeep Jauhar, MD, has written about. Dr. Jauhar is the director of the Heart Failure Program at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and a multiple-time bestselling author whose writings have also appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and other publications. In the first half of our conversation, Dr. Jauhar shares his journey in medicine and struggles with burnout; while in the second half, we discuss his poignant experiences caring for his father, the subject of his most recent book, My Father's Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer's. 

In this episode, you will hear about:

• How Dr. Jauhar’s immigrant parents influenced his choice to pursue a career in medicine - 2:02
• Dr. Jauhar’s reflections on the role of indecisiveness in shaping his path to cardiology - 4:49
• A discussion of a doctor’s struggle against a corporate medical system that inflicts moral injury on physicians - 12:51
• Dr. Jauhar’s advice to physicians on ameliorating moral injury - 18:54
• Reflections on how Alzheimer’s disease affects the patient’s family, and an overview of Dr. Jauhar’s recent book My Father’s Brain - 25:10
• A discussion of therapeutic deception, also known as validation therapy, in which caregivers and loved ones are encouraged to “play along” with the distorted reality of a patient with dementia - 36:43
• The conflicts between Dr. Jauhar and his siblings concerning end-of-life care for his father - 43:18
• How the medical system needs to changed so that more support is given to dementia patients and their families - 49:05

Dr. Sandeep Jauhar is the author of several best-selling nonfiction books: Intern: A Doctor’s Initiation, Doctored: The Disillusionment of an American Doctor, Heart, A History, and My Father's Brain: Life in the Shadow of Alzheimer's

Dr. Jauhar also responds to medical students and residents on his blog Advice on Your First Year.

You can follow Dr. Jauhar on Twitter @SJauhar.

Visit our website www.TheDoctorsArt.com where you can find transcripts of all episodes.

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