Page 10 - Mecklenburg_Medicine_October-2020

Feature

Finding Purpose and Peace
in the Final Chapter of Life

FBy Ken Garfield School of Medicine. At age 64, he was crafting his own later-in-
inding purpose and peace in the final chapter of life is the life agenda with an eye toward practicing the kind of medicine
theme of a tender new book by a Charlotte physician. that goes beyond science. As he recounts in the book, his mentor
“The years we have left after retirement,” Charles at Johns Hopkins told him, “Listening to patients is not a skill
H. Edwards II, MD, writes, “why surrender them to possessed by many surgeons. In geriatric psychiatry, listening is
nostalgia and time? Why not fill them instead with the rewards crucial to effectiveness.”
that come with embracing life. Cheer for your grandkids at their
basketball game. Learn to paint. Pick up that musical instrument you In 2013, his vision came to life when he opened a nonprofit medical
played as a kid. Take a walk. Reconcile a past hurt with a friend or practice devoted to Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other memory and
movement disorders. Memory & Movement Charlotte (www.mmclt.
loved one. Quit worrying about money. Don’t worry org) has grown to include Edwards, three other physicians and a
if you need help with modern technology. Cherish physician assistant. They care for more than 1,100 patients and 3,000
these days when we are finally free of the demands caregivers. During COVID-19, Memory & Movement Charlotte has
of careers and have time to pursue personal and often seen patients remotely. Its care is based on a time-and-attention model,
delayed agendas.” illustrated by a patient’s first appointment, with family and caregiver
present. It lasts up to two hours.
The title of his book, “Much Abides: A Survival
CharlesH.EdwardsII,MD Guide for Aging Lives” is inspired by these words
from the British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, “Tho’ much is taken,
much abides.”

Dr. Edwards has long been a familiar presence
in the Mecklenburg medical community. As a
cardiovascular surgeon, he performed more
than 1,000 operations over 29 years. Then,
one day in the OR, his assistant noticed a
tremor in his left hand. Two years from
retiring from surgery, he faced the ultimate
question. What next?

Aging can pack
such a punch. But it
doesn’t have to if we see
the golden years as
shimmering with
possibilities.

Edwards lost both
parents to Alzheimer’s
disease. Moved by
their struggle and a
determination to offer
a more personal level
of care, he enrolled
in dementia
training at
Johns Hopkins
University

10 | October 2020 • Mecklenburg Medicine