It’s a blessing that the State of CA provides qualifying patients with an option. Nobody should have to suffer. I am beyond grateful to Dr. Bob for his professionalism, sensitivity and care.
– Webb W.
I am very grateful to Dr. Bob and Rev. Elizabeth for all their care and assistance to my late husband and our family. Their visits to our home, thoughtful personal attention, and management of his medical and spiritual needs made his final days comfortable and content and allowed him to remain in the home that he loved with his family. Dr. Bob’s evaluation and interventions, and Rev. Elizabeth’s perceptive insights and suggestions about topics for conversation, were especially helpful and eased his crossing immensely. Thank you.
– F J L.
My beautiful wife and love of my life for 47 years passed after a battle with brain cancer that lasted for a year after her diagnoses. We knew that no one survives this stage four cancer diagnosis and spent that year attempting to make the best of it through treatments and therapies. When her doctor said she just had a couple of months to live we began considering the End of Life Option and reached out to Dr. Bob of Integrated MD care. This was the best thing we could have done and I will be forever grateful for the expertise and compassion of Dr. Bob and Rev. Elizabeth Uslander. In a relatively short time we were expertly guided through the entire process and able to arrange for a beautiful and peaceful passing. When one considers all the legal, ethical, medical, spiritual and emotional issues that converge at a time like this it seems an impossible hill to climb. Guided by Dr. Bob and Elizabeth, however everything came together in a wonderful bittersweet passing for my love. It is impossible to adequately convey my relief and gratitude on behalf of myself and my wife. It could not have been more perfect. The end of her journey was a beginning for me that has been extremely difficult but that moment provided the first healing step on the journey I have been on since. Thank you, Dr. Bob. Thank you, Elizabeth.
– Steven D.
Dr. Bob helped my father-in-law find peace during a very difficult time. His compassion and thoughtful caring attitude made this time so much calmer for the family. His staff was amazing; all questions were answered. When Dr. Bob first met with my father-in-law, we could literally see relaxation come into his eyes. This is not an easy time to navigate. Dr. Bob was with us and in communication the whole way. We are all so grateful. This process should be easier, but this staff made it as so much less stressful for all involved. Every question was answered promptly and in depth. Thank you forever.
– Nancy L.
I just wanted to say thank you Dr.Bob. You were there when my husband needed you. How can I thank you for that? He was suffering from ALS and wanted to go on his own terms. A friend recommended Dr. Bob. From that point on he knew he was going to be taken care of. I only wish this service was given as an option in very beginning. But we had to find it on our own. To those who are on the fence about contacting this doctor. Please do yourself and your loved one a favor and call. You won’t be sorry.
– Linda W.
Dr Bob and his team were extremely helpful to our family as my father decided it was time to end his suffering. After talking with Dr Bob, my father was confident he had made the right decision with the right doctor. Dr Bob’s compassion for my dad’s situation was very comforting to us. It made it easy to support my dad’s decision and be with him for his last moments. Dr Bob’s team answered all our questions with patience and empathy. I highly recommend Dr Bob should you or your loved one be facing end of life decisions. He really made a difference during a very emotional time. I will forever be grateful.
– Sarah T.
My husband had a very painful and debilitating form of cancer and was dying. A friend who had had Dr. Uslander help her husband during his final days urged me to call him. My husband and I were very thankful that we did. The “experts” at the hospital told us that my husband couldn’t have any help with his death, although death was imminent. That wasn’t true. In addition, hospice didn’t sufficiently medicate him, as prescribed, so that his last days were excruciating and sleepless. Then Dr. Uslander, Bob, joined us. Although my husband ultimately died naturally before the date he could have had assistance in dying, his death was much more humane. Bob answered all my calls and visited our home, where my husband was being treated, whenever we asked. I have given instructions for Bob to attend my death when the time comes. Bob and his assistants were wonderful and I have recommended to all my aging friends.
– Jan R.
I arrived with unsettled feelings. I left feeling realigned, and with a kinder grasp of my journey.
– Mary Jo H.
Dr. Bob was so very supportive to my husband as he was going through the final stages of his disease. Thank you so very much.
– Lynda E.
After the very sudden and unexpected death of my younger sister, Elizabeth was an enormous support. She was understanding, comforting and gave me a framework for my grief process. Losing someone is never easy, but with Elizabeth’s support it has been a much richer experience. I am grateful to have met her and highly recommend working with her.
– Laing R.
My husband, Ben, made his transition last year at the age of 88. Health challenges overwhelmed him, and he chose to let go of his body with the support of his family and Integrated MD Care. Honoring his wish, and supporting him during his transition, was the most difficult life-experience I have faced. Dr. Bob and Elizabeth were a wonderfully helpful team for me, Ben, and our family. In particular, I want to thank Elizabeth for her availability, compassion, and emotional support during the entire time. She was Ben’s advocate, and he felt understood by her. She expressed to others his wishes when he was no longer able, and supported our family in processing feelings. I was struck by her kindness, combined with clarity and strength. I am honored to know Elizabeth and call her Friend.
– Sarah H.
Working with Dr. Bob and Elizabeth was a blessing in our lives. They transformed a very difficult situation and end of life care into a peaceful, comfortable, and spiritual experience. They were not only supportive of my mother, who was facing end of life, but also offered so much support, patience and guidance to myself and mother’s loved ones. Elizabeth is a true healer and angel on earth.
– Liberty E.
The end of life is an incredible part of our journey on this Earth. Some people believe the journey ends when our bodies cease to exist on this planet, others believe that our lives and spirits live on through marks we’ve made or in a life that exists only in death. Regardless of your beliefs, Elizabeth is a powerful healer. There is healing in the end of life process. I didn’t understand it before. I do now. Relationships are changed within ourselves, our loved ones, and the journey we walk together on that road. A road that isn’t easy to navigate. For all we are trained to do to live life, it’s end is something we rarely know how to deal with. Emotion over powers reason. Fear, terror, love, grief, joy. They are all part of the process – and very confusing. Elizabeth has a unique ability to be present and help navigate this time of life in a way that allows the life of death to live within us. She is a powerful, but unobstrusive guide during these final days. The time I spent with her lives on within me as much as the life of my now departed and dearly loved friend does. Thank you, Elizabeth for helping us make that walk with meaning. With grace. With pain. With gratitude.
– Briana W.
We had a very profound experience with Rev. Elizabeth and Dr. Bob. My family is immensely grateful for their patience, guidance and spiritual support when our family was saying goodbye to our dearly beloved Dad, Ben. Thank you for who you are, and all that you bring to the table. In deep appreciation, Joseph and Family
– Joseph B.
I am so very grateful to have found Integrated MD and, in particular, the wonderful therapy services of Elizabeth Uslander. I cannot speak highly enough about Elizabeth, and what a difference she has made in my life and my emotional well-being since we started our sessions several months ago. Elizabeth listens and ‘takes in’ extremely well, and provides helpful, focused insight and feedback. Her therapy is presented in a healing and self-embracing, self-affirming manner. She is earnest, caring, compassionate, and not afraid to share her personal journey in helping place context on mine. I feel blessed to have found such a positive and helpful therapist, and look forward to my bi-weekly sessions with Elizabeth to always help bring me back to ‘center.’
– Liz W.
Finding Integrated MD Care was a gift! My 92-year-old best friend was slowly losing his capacities to participate in life. He didn’t have a diagnosis amenable to cure, or even subject to improvement with pills, therapy, etc. Yet he faced so many compromises to his hearing, swallowing, breathing, balance. His feeling that he was “done with this life” grew. He became determined to avoid the long, slow decline he foresaw. After many years of reflection, conversations with his family and friends, and research, he came to a decision that this was the time for him to leave. Stopping eating and drinking (VSED) was his choice. But it’s one thing to come to such a decision, and quite another to actually implement it. That is where the “gift” of Integrated MD Care entered the scene. In my estimation, “Care” is the operative word in the name of this practice. Yes, it offers high-level medicine. Yes, it provides a truly impressive level of integration of the widest array of services. But care is its hallmark. We needed a caring adult in the room to move us from our situation, to his goal of ending his life at home in a peaceful, comfortable way. That “adult” was this practice. We found this “gift” at a Hemlock Society meeting where Dr. Bob was speaking on the topic of Voluntary Stop Eating and Drinking (VSED), and we are forever grateful for their friendship and assistance. They knew how to deliver what we desired and needed, and to do so in the most caring and helpful manner. Elizabeth and Dr. Bob have assembled a remarkable support team. A special shout out to the nursing staff. Truly exceptional. It took just one phone call and one consultation with Dr. Bob and Elizabeth to feel that we had found the team, really the extended family, that would guide and support our journey. We were not disappointed.
– Jan H.
It is hard to put into words the extraordinary service Dr. Bob provided for my husband with compassion, professionalism and grace. Our family is incredibly thankful to him for granting my husband’s wish and making the experience easier for all of us. Dr. Bob is a very special man!!
– Helga M.
When my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, she lived far from any relative. Despite the rapid progress of her disease, she managed her care, choosing her physician, nurses and aides, and Dr. Uslander, who she had met much earlier. Her family’s initial reluctance to embrace the retention of Dr. Uslander was promptly overcome after we had a long, candid, and entirely sympathetic conference call with him. That call became representative of our rapidly evolving relationship, during which we came to rely on and treasure his (and his colleagues’) contributions to my mother’s life — and the lives of her family and friends. Dr. Uslander, his family, and his network of collaborators were consistently helpful, sympathetic, kind, and beneficial, enabling my mother to remain in dignified control of her life and the disease that ended it. Our gratitude to Dr. Uslander is great, and I am pleased to add this recommendation to his web site.
– Paul L.
Dr. Bob was able to meet all my needs and offer my father care beyond what would have been possible otherwise. He is knowledgable, available and responsive. Beyond the medical assistance, he and his team stand with you during what can be a very stressful time.
– Heather L.
Dr. Bob helped my family in a very challenging time. His access to resources, experts and genuine compassion were a positive light during an otherwise dark time. Furthermore, he helped us see the bright side and find positivity in some elements during the end of life experience. Most importantly Dr. Bob helped our loved one maintain their dignity, pride and quality of life; he helped us thread the needle.
– ADAM M.
– Andrew H.
Dr Bob and his team made all the difference in the world to me during the difficult time before my Father’s death. They are exceptionally competent, reliable and compassionate. My sisters and I were comforted and relieved as we experienced my Dad getting the best care available. We no longer had to constantly and vigilantly advocate for his care. It was ideal to have my Dad at home, where we could simply love him, sit with him, sing to him. We had 24 hour nurses who were amazing- so competent. I was very impressed with how they managed medications so that my Dad was pain-free but also able to have wakeful periods. The nurse knew when my Dad’s passing was near so that we could be there with him at the very end. Professionally so competent; experientially so compassionate and understanding. We are so grateful for Dr Bob.
– Helen T.
Our 88-year-old father was hospitalized in October of 2017 after suffering a debilitating stroke. He was driven by ambulance to the hospital and placed in a room, where he was given very personal attention from doctors, nurses, and specialists. After two days there, his primary doctor told us that he would never be able to swallow properly and, if we didn’t want him placed on a feeding tube, that we should consult with the hospital’s hospice care. Hospice sounded like the most humane course of action for our fiercely independent father, and my two sisters and I eventually agreed to hospice. Within less than an hour, everything dramatically changed. All medical services abruptly stopped, and our father was moved to a “hospice” floor. The “move” consisted of a mad dash through the back hallways of the hospital. When we arrived at the hospice floor, our father was moved into a room, and the hospital staff just left. That floor was scary. Through open doors, we saw patients laying half off their beds, people complaining of pain who got no response or relief from the nursing staff. Our dad was in pain — violent leg spasms — but no pain meds were delivered. No doctor visited him; no nurse checked in with us. The situation was intolerable, so upsetting for us to witness our strong, highly intelligent, charismatic, and refined father subjected to unnecessary pain. I left the hospital that first day of hospice care determined to find another way. I found it at 5:00 a.m. the next morning, after searching online. It came in the form of Dr. Bob. I sent him an email at that very early hour, and within 15 minutes he called me back. Dr. Bob met me that very day at the hospital, met my father and my two sisters, and told me what he and his company could do for me. He was our savior: he arranged that day for an ambulance to pick up our father and drive him to my sister’s house. Nursing staff was already at the home, as was a special bed for him, pain meds, staff to monitor him day and night to keep him clean, warm, and pain free. The end of his life was not easy for us, but, oh, what a difference Dr. Bob made. His staff was compassionate, competent, and communicative. We stopped worrying about our dad’s medical condition and pain and focused on creating a loving environment for him: singing songs, reading poetry, playing the piano and violin, recalling happy memories. We are so grateful that we found Dr. Bob. He allowed our father to live his last days pain free, surrounded by three daughters who, because Dr. Bob took care of everything else, could focus on our father and our love for him.
– Susan M.
Dr. Bob came into my 96 year-old mother’s life as sweet as a breath of fresh air and hope that encircled her difficult days. His compassion, sensitivity, insight and kindness were a blessing in her final days, making her end-of-life journey calm and confident. He brought solace and support to both me and my mother and was always available to answer questions and offer reassurance. He went out of his way to accommodate her needs and was an extraordinary source of comfort at an emotional time. I am ever so grateful he stood with us throughout this passage. It is not easy to lose a loved one, even when expected, but Dr. Bob made us feel strong and vital. He and his team will always be in my heart for the caring and dedicated work they do. I will forever be thankful for his knowledge and experience, equal to the solace and dignity with which he graces his important and valuable mission.
– Susan D.
Dr. Uslander was instrumental in helping my mom make her journey onward without having to continue to suffer. He made everything easy for her and for me as we went through the process of saying good bye. It was a Godsend having him help us!
– Susan S.
– Suzanne H.
Mom was a very sharp, active 103 year old until pneumonia hit. She spent a few days in the hospital, & was sent home with meds, but she didn’t snap back as she usually does. When our doctor recommended she return to hospital for further testing, she asked if he could guarantee she would be able to resume her past activities…be her old self again. When he told her he couldn’t do that, she said she was done, no more hospitals, poking & probing. The doctor then explained he would then have to recommend hospice, & explained what that meant. Mom came home with us then thinking that she would die within days. Each day she would awake angry that she was still alive, on oxygen, needing assistance to bathe, dress, & use a walker. She was very ready to leave this life, kept asking us to help her do this. After asking the Hospice doctor for a referral, he gave us Dr. Bob’s name and number. Elizabeth returned my call promptly, we spoke for a while, and an appointment was made for Dr. Bob to meet Mom for initial assessment. He was wonderful with her, and us, he was warm, compassionate, and understanding. He explained the End of Life process, the steps that needed to be taken, and said that Mom was an excellent candidate for it. Elizabeth also became a major part of the process, helping our daughter specifically, via phone conversations and emails to understand her grandmother’s decision. When the final day came, our family sat with Mom, talked, laughed, cried. Bob was there with us, definitely part of the family. I was surprised that he sat with us all for over an hour, until Mom finally said okay, she was ready. The end was very peaceful, she went to sleep, and we were there with her. Dr. Bob made the necessary calls, finished paperwork, sat with us for awhile. Most importantly, when he left he said anytime any of us needed to talk, he or Elizabeth were there for us. We can’t thank them enough for helping us through this amazing, unusual experience.
– Marillyn M.
I first met Dr. Bob when he was my mother’s palliative and then hospice Dr. while with another agency. Once he established Integrated MD care we opted to stay with him and his new practice and leave our current palliative agency. Mom had rallied out of hospice and because our family lived out of town we needed a local “concierge” Dr to look out for her and her health needs with the least amount of invasiveness (ie hospital, IV, etc) Mom rallied for about another 5 years and while the dementia got worse her health was managed in the best way possible by Dr. Bob and Integrated MD staff. If she needed labs, the mobile lab was sent, if she needed PT they sent someone (who was FANTASTIC) , if she had any indication of illness, someone was at her side within an hour of the call. Her meds were overseen , purchased and organized for caregivers. Integrated MD was a lifeline for me and I definitely feel mom’s life was extended in a quality manner because of all of the staff and their services. On the last day of her 97 years of life, (she was in home hospice) Dr. Bob was there, comforting me, talking to her, and holding her hand I will always remember his kindness and care to both my mom and my family throughout our years together.
– Marcia C.