There are encounters in the chaos of the ED, in crowded wards during Covid, in eerily underpopulated private hospitals. Lists of narrators include elderly parents, friends, relatives. There are accounts by patients, doctors and nurses. There are stories that are excruciating, funny, sad. Stories from the private front line, behind the public face. Addiction and rehab tales from a childhood friend who binges 60 units (about 48 standard drinks) of alcohol a day.
Scenes from the folder: Rose Smith waits while the new specialist scrolls through 25 years of her surgical notes. He turns and says, "I opened the file and my heart sank." Rose silently absorbs this. Out the window, a beautiful network of bare tree branches spreads against the iron sky.
Rose looks at his sensitive, kindly face and says, with a feeling close to hilarity, "And so to the next chapter in the horror story. The day I learned my surgeon had dementia."
Denne historien er fra September 30 - October 6 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 30 - October 6 2023-utgaven av New Zealand Listener.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
First-world problem
Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.
Applying intelligence to AI
I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.
Nazism rears its head
Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.
Staying ahead of the game
Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?
Grasping the nettle
Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.
Hangry? Eat breakfast
People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.
Chemical reaction
Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.
Me and my guitar
Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.
Time is on my side
Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?
The kids are not alright
Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.
