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The First 100 Days
Following an Emergency
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Rhonda experienced a stroke affecting the left side of her body. She returned to the emergency department
(ED) three weeks later due to kidney failure. While only 62 years old, Rhonda’s long history of hypertension had taken a toll on her body.
Although she was making steady progress in recovering from the stroke, Rhonda appeared depressed. Her two daughters had encouraged her to follow the kidney specialist’s orders and go to the ED. The plan was to admit Rhonda to the hospital and have a shunt placed in
her arm in preparation for dialysis.
Rhonda did not want dialysis; she wanted to die. Was she competent to make this decision? Was depression compromising her decision-making capacity? Her daughters had stepped up to support their mother, but they would not hear of Rhonda’s choosing to give up. Were they respecting her wishes? Was there room for negotiation and consensus? Was it reasonable
to establish a time frame for receiving dialysis?
Here are three important goals to address
during the trial period for
advanced medical intervention:
Legal Aspects in Palliative and
End of Life Care in the United States
The concept of medical futility was presented in this UpToDate article and in the news cycle concerning Otto Wambier, the 22-year-old who fell into a coma in North Korea last year and was returned to Ohio last week. Wainbier has a neurological condition termed “unresponsive wakefulness” (like Terry Schiavo) and carries a poor prognosis.
The article states, "In general, it is now
agreed that there is no objective standard of futility." I contacted the author, Thaddeus Pope, and wrote: My best practice is to acknowledge medical futility in patients who have medical conditions with a poor prognoses. Why is this not the standard? The importance of defining medical futility is key to providing patients dignity.
This is the response I received:
The thrust of the 2015 five society statement is to remind clinicians that
almost all line drawing regarding non-beneficial treatment is not medical and scientific but value laden.
Consequently, the decisions are usually for families (not clinicians) to make. In any case, lines (like no life-sustaining treatment for anencephaly, no dialysis if permanently unconscious…) must be supported by broad public policies and not individual ICU by ICU.
As non-beneficial treatment is value laden (left to the strong personal views
of family members), battle lines will be drawn with the case of Otto Wambier. Yet ethical societies have a duty to promote science as a matter of fact and dignity as a right for those who confront medical futility.
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
The Principle of
"Balance 'n Motion"
While fresh out of first grade, my extended-family granddaughter came to Arizona for a visit. She was eager to teach me the principle of balance ‘n motion through using clothes pins and scraps of wood. I challenged her to practice balance 'n motion while standing on my BOSU Ball. Before long, she tested her balance by squatting on it, catching stuffed
animals while leaping over it and trying not to get her parents upset.
While watching my granddaughter prove how talented she was, we both had a lot of fun. Balance ‘n motion is necessary for dancers, jugglers and caregivers. Learning how to balance life while caregiving takes practice and focus. I’ve
learned that when going through the motions of caregiving as a daily grind, I am not in balance. Establishing balance makes me feel like I’m moving through life gracefully.
June 28, 2017 (8:30am - 3:00pm)
Arizona Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
AHPCO 2017 Spring Conference
DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Paradise Valley
5401 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85250-7090
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
#TributeTuesday
Share a tribute to a loved one who has died, or to mark the anniversary of their death.
From June 20th: #TributeTuesday: Hats off to my father-figure friend, Ernest Horace, who cares for his father, disabled brother and son!
#WishfulWednesdayHave a wish for the weekend? Post your plan on Wednesday. Practice expressing end-of-life wishes during the prime of life. From June 14th: #WishfulWednesday: Simple pleasures like a glazed doughnut are the best practice of palliative care! Make your end-of-week wishlist midweek.
How to Approach Living While
Dying
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UPDATE
Editing the fine cut at the end of this month into July. Immense Possibilities is a weekly public TV and internet series that featured an interview with Cathy 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?
"Living while dying" is a new concept for most people. It’s also the name of a new film that’s being released by my friend, Cathy Zheutlin. Cathy asked me to be an advisor on the project. My opinion, like your opinion, matters in life and death.
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.
Cathy Zheutlin, the creator of the film, Living While Dying, shared she is "feeling blessed beyond the beyond by your generosity, kindness, and support as we learn how to change our consciousness here on earth in love school."
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