Hospitals and Healthcare

Very simple pictures and drawings are an effective way for patients and family caregivers to communicate health care needs. Visuals are not only time-savers, they’re tools for creating deeper empathy and connection. Thanks to a growing movement known as Graphic Medicine, visual narratives can help patients to be seen as human beings with stories, not just symptoms. Sam Hester is a Calgary-based graphic recorder and longtime indie comics creator who has collaborated with a wide range of organizations in Canada. Sam creates visual stories by drawing upon deep listening skills, a unique graphic style, a passion for community-building… and a lot of markers. Sam writes and draws The Listener, a comics column, for the made-in-Alberta independent journalism outlet The Sprawl. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx