Friday, January 1, 2010

Chapter 15: Death and Dying

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1 comment:

  1. Janet BelskyMarch 8, 2012 at 1:33 PM

    * In a new experiencing the lifespan box, "Heart Failure is a Family Affair" I get very personal: discussing life with my husband who has congestive heart failure.
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    the dying person

    * adds new information (quotations from qualitative studies) exploring the experiences of people who are seriously or terminally ill.

    *also explores the emotions of family members who have experienced a child's death through riveting quotes

    Health care system (new info below reinforces points made in edition 2)

    * showcases comprehensive review of hospital records spanning decades suggesting the odds of health care workers' predicting patients' date of dying are only 50-50

    * Offers more stats on the value of palliative care units with the caution that these services are still only found a major medical centers (ie This service is far from widespread)

    * offers up-to-date data suggesting that, while hospice is continuing to serve more people than ever, many eligible patients still don't enroll (for the same reasons discussed in edition 2)

    Taking control of when we die:

    * continues to emphasize the fact that the durable power of attorney is the best advance directive, but also showcases studies suggesting that family members may not accurately understand what the person wants. Therefore, the elderly individual needs to explicitly discuss his/her wishes with the whole family.

    * Predicts that issues relating to age based rationing of care are poised to become center stage (or, actually a reality) as the developed world grapples with the cost of caring for aged baby boomers in the near future.

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