Alexandra “Alex” Drane has been talking about the “Unmentionables” like end of life, sex, loneliness and empathy long before it was cool to address these topics as core healthcare issues. Always the brightest light in any room, Alex draws people to her with her fresh and honest take on serious issues and her vivaciousness and joyful approach to her work.
Alex has founded five companies and played a role in shaping many others. Her most current efforts focus on the intersection of caregiving and improving the end-of-life experience. She has dedicated her life to finding the human side of technology and leveraging technology to get the best out of life. She is well known for her presentation of The Unmentionables at the annual Health 2.0 conference and other locales.
In this episode of Tech Tonics, Alex discusses the importance of including actual life experiences and emotions in discussions of healthcare a la the Vulnerability Index she developed to characterize these issues. She also discusses her initiatives to improve end of life discussions with the Engage with Grace One Slide Project. Thank you, Alex, for a wonderful discussion.
To listen to the podcast, click on the player below or find it on iTunes by clicking HERE or on the Connected Social Media website by clicking HERE; you can find all past episodes of Tech Tonics on iTunes as well.
ps-for more on the end of life discussion, see David’s article on the topic
So well done! How have I not known about this site, even as I’ve known about you?? So much to dig into here!
Yeah, to your patient experience story …. what will it take before we get to naming horsecrap hospitals the way we readily name horsecrap airline experiences? I’ve witnessed nurses jabbering (on the other side of the wall!) while they ignore call buttons … but not when it was a potentially dangerous issue like yours. Just SO not acceptable.
I’m game to do whatever we can to figure out how to awaken people…
Thanks for the note Dave! Glad to have you on board. Lisa