Welcome to this weekend’s reads. People seem to enjoy the cute animal stories, so I’ve included one (near the end, if you want to read it first).

The latest paediatric palliative care video (below) from Little Stars is about treating chronic pain in children. It’s nice to see how the interdisciplinary team interacts with, and respects, the girl in the video.

An article that is all over my social media feeds this week: Knowing How Doctors Die Can Change End of Life Discussions. It also brought back to mind this article on How Doctors Die. (NPR)

“I felt like I was beating up people at the end of their life…I would be doing the CPR with tears coming down sometimes, and saying, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, goodbye.’ Because I knew that it very likely not going to be successful. It just seemed a terrible way to end someone’s life.”

Another article that is all over my social media feeds this week (Sonia shared it yesterday and I think it’s worth sharing again in case you missed it): Give death its due in a system focused on life (The Age)

It’s hard enough living with illness; financial and legal concerns make it even more difficult. The Last Thing to Worry About outlines some financial and legal considerations for those facing life-limiting illness, and describes recent changes to Australian rules for early access to superannuation. (Sydney Morning Herald)

UK dementia carer and campaigner Tommy Whitelaw shares the results of the Dementia Carer Voices survey. There is some great advice in there for health professionals. (Tommyontour)

“Carers should be recognised as equal partners by health and social care professionals, who bring an unmatchable level of expertise on what the person they care for likes and dislikes, who they are, and what is important to them.”

“Carers should also be recognised as individuals by health and social care professionals, who have their own independent lives and their own needs which are of equal importance.”

Australian writer and appearance activist Carly Findlay writes a letter to her (future) unborn child –  My unborn child has inspired me to think about disability and genetics and the value of a life. Her blog is gold – check it out. (Carly Findlay)

This week was NAIDOC Week in Australia, and Croakey shared this lovely lecture from Dr Kerry Arabena, chair for Indigenous Health at the University of Melbourne. (Celebrate #NAIDOC2015 with a long-read about love, Croakey)

Another NAIDOC Week story tells of Ms Puturgana, a Walmajarri woman and aged care resident who maintains her connection to country through painting, when health issues keep her from travel. (NAIDOC week 2015: Painting maintains connection to Walmajarri country for Broome aged care patient, The West Australian)

To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its website, the BMJ has published a list of 20 top papers, including some that are highly relevant to the Palliverse community (thebmj.com)

Do you have aspirations of editing a medical journal? A (paid) editorial fellowship at NEJM could be for you! (NEJM Blog)

Those not familiar with comedian Dylan Moran’s work will probably still enjoy this interview from his recent visit to Australia. (Death, God and the NSA: A friendly chat with Dylan Moran, ABC Radio National)

“‘We use almost anything to distract ourselves from death,’ he says, ‘including other people dying.’ This deep sense of pessimism is, perhaps, rather unsurprising from a man who once reduced life to four stages: Child, Failure, Old and Dead.”

A delightful tale about benevolent Bea the hospice dog, who is retiring. Don’t worry, she’ll maintain her online presence! (Longtime Hospice Therapy Dog to Retire, via National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization)

“Staff members assist Bea with her posts and said she loves social media, which allows her to reach out to her fan base. ‘She shows her benevolence by liking other animal institutions…'”

I could have ended with that adorable animal story but instead I’ll leave you with something macabre. I’ve had patients donate their bodies to science but I’ve never heard of anyone donating their body to art. Has anyone else? (Icelandic Artist Collaborates With Corpses for Macabre Performance, artnetnews via Drollgirl)

Thanks for reading and, as always, please share your thoughts in the comments.