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Bargaining in Your Patient's Best Interest
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Peter, a spry 91-year-old gentleman with progressive dementia, arrived in the ER after pulling out his feeding tube while sleeping. His daughter, Linda, stated, "He hates this
thing. Does he really need it?"
The ER doctor was certain that Peter was near the end of his life, in part due to post-surgery rehab not progressing well. The physician reinserted a temporary feeding tube, overruled the "nothing by mouth" rule and handed Peter a cup of water and some gelatin. The simple
act of kindness made Peter the happiest man alive.
Linda was conflicted. She was afraid of doing something wrong, yet loved seeing the twinkle in her father’s eyes. The physician explained that palliative care respects the wishes of patients who are expected to die. He even offered to remove the
temporary feeding tube, but Linda felt it best to discuss this with her mother before making that decision. Peter left the ER overjoyed and Linda received a referral to a palliative care agency.
The following tips will help you better understand how receiving palliative care
puts you in a better bargaining position:
We Plan for Death Poorly in the
U.S.
My take on the bullet points of another ER doctor - Sudip Bose, MD:
- Best one-liner: People aren’t living longer, they’re dying longer
- Dying is not a fun topic to talk about
- We need to get “comfortable” with the concept of palliative
care
- "Patients who have a terminal illness" are typically not informed of this and not aware that they are dying
- 70% of doctors are not aware that their patient have documents with end-of-life wishes – who’s responsible for
this?
- People don’t make the best decisions while under stress
- From 1998-2010 depression has increased 26% in the last year of life
- Doctors ask patients what they want – We need to be more forthright with telling them what they don’t want
- Every patient, family, case and doctor is different – not really.
September 6-9, 2017"Conversations Matter Most in the Emergency Department" Advance Care Planning and End-of-Life Care Conference Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Banff, Alberta, Canada
Is Palliative Care Right For YOU? by Kevin J. Haselhorst, MD The key to making medical decisions is understanding palliative care: Palliative Care is the bridge between advance care and end-of-life
care.
When you no longer have your health, how will you spend your time and money?
Is quality of life more important than staying alive at any cost?
This booklet will teach you: - What palliative care means in practical terms
- The value of making your own medical decisions
- How to gain peace of mind with chronic
illness
Command respect during your next doctor visit by saying, "I receive palliative care."
Learn more at KevinHaselhorst.com
BECOMING ACCLAIMED
My great niece, Sophia, awoke on the first day of preschool and found a sign in her front yard welcoming her to St. Teresa Catholic School. The image depicts her rising to the occasion, being celebrated as a big girl now, and having the school stake a claim in her formation as a valuable member of society. The future appears promising when others are eager to watch over and acclaim your loved
one.
Yard signs call attention to personal values that exist in the home. What if palliative agencies, that help families dealing with chronic illness have a blessed day, stuck a sign outside homes? Would others support this public celebration of a milestone? Would neighbors appreciate that a highly acclaimed person lives there? Would the future appear as
promising? #TributeTuesday Share a tribute to a loved one who has died, or to mark the anniversary of their death.
From August 15th: #TributeTuesday: The legacy of Glen Campbell who died August 8, 2017 inspired me to "Try a Little Kindness."
#WishfulWednesdayHave a wish for the weekend? Post your plan on Wednesday. Practice expressing end-of-life wishes during the prime of life. From August 16th: #WishfulWednesday: Get what you want at the
end of life by having a do-not-resuscitate order.
How to Approach Living While
Dying
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Living While Dying Please support this film that makes “living while dying” easier for everyone to engage.
Help spread the word about this Generosity
fundraiser! UPDATE
Immense Possibilities is a weekly public TV and internet series that featured an interview with Cathy Zheutlin
about Living While Dying.
Watch the interview: (10 minutes) Watch on Vimeo
Cathy needs to raise more money for the music, the sound mix and the color corrections.
Please help get the word out to others you think might want to back this project!
Only have time for 24 seconds?
As Cathy explores the reality of her loved ones facing death, she turns the camera around and looks at herself.
How will she approach living while dying?
The end result of the film is to have viewers ponder and pick their own rite of passage.
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