End of Life Care News
Memory Loss: Music Can Help People Tune In
Daily Chronicle, Published Sept. 1, 2011
Read the Article about Music Therapy
When it comes to memory loss, the final memories people tend to cling to are those tied to music.
Lincolnshire Place, a residence geared toward serving people with memory loss, relies heavily on music therapy to keep its residents actively engaged. Tina Thompson, activities director for the center, said music can get even individuals functioning at a low level to respond.
“People remember tunes, and it triggers a memory,” Thompson said. “People who don’t open their eyes or communicate, you can see their fingers or their toes tapping.”
ASCO Recommends Steps to Improve Doctor-Patient Communication about End-of-Life Cancer Care
American Society of Clinical Oncology, Published Jan. 24, 2011
Read the Article about End-of-Life Cancer Care
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) today called on physicians, medical schools, insurers, and others to help improve quality of life for people with advanced cancer. In a new policy statement, ASCO recommends steps to ensure that physicians initiate candid discussions about the full range of palliative care and treatment options soon after patients' diagnosis with advanced cancer (defined as incurable disease).
End-of-Life Health-care issues debated
Winston-Salem Journal, Published Jan. 13, 2011
Read the Article about End-of-Life Health Care Issues
A recent Medicare funding controversy has brought new focus on the need for all adults, no matter their age, to have conversations with their families and their doctor about end-of-life care.
"Before I offer treatment, I need to understand their wishes," said Dr. Charles Stinson, medical director of the Forsyth Medical Center palliative care unit.
Some patients, he said, want to be allowed to die comfortably if they are living on a respirator or unconscious, while others want to prolong life as long as possible.
Consider the Conversation
- a documentary film Terry Kaldhusdal examining how 21st century Americans live at the end of their lives
Eighteen months in the making and entirely funded by donations, Consider the Conversation includes interviews with patients, family members, doctors, nurses, social workers, clergy and national experts from around the country. These voices of experience teach us that communication and preparation are the keys to preventing unnecessary physical, emotional, spiritual and social suffering at the end-of-life.
As producers, we have three goals for this project: 1) to change the current American attitude from one that predominantly views end-of-life as a failed medical event to one that sees it as a normal process rich in opportunity for human development, 2) to inspire dialogue between patient and doctor, husband and wife, parent and child, minister and parishioner about end-of-life issues, and 3) to encourage medical professionals, healthcare organizations and faith leaders to take the lead in counseling others.
The bottom line is that Consider the Conversation does not seek to hand down answers. Instead, it provides something far more important - the questions all of us need to contemplate.
DeKalb County Hospice will be purchasing this DVD when it is released around March 1st.
Why End-of-Life Planning is Smart, Necessary - Dec. 28, 2010
Read the Article about End-of-Life Planning
By J. Donald Schumacher, Special to CNN
Editor's note: J. Donald Schumacher is president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, a public policy group that represents hospices
(CNN) -- Thinking about death can be frightening, no matter your age or medical condition. As we get older, the reality of our own mortality tends to come into clearer focus; this doesn't make talking about death or life-sustaining treatments any less frightening though.
It was fear -- stoked by certain politicians -- that led to the inaccurate and misguided "death panel" rumors that surrounded health care reform proposals last year.
Beginning January 1, Medicare will reimburse physicians who advise patients, in voluntary discussions, about their preferences for end-of-life care treatment during their annual Medicare "wellness visit." This is advance care planning, and it is a good thing for seniors, their families and health care professionals.
Article Suggests Tips for Engaging in Discussions About Life-Threatening Illness
A "JPM Patient Information" feature, "Talking About Life Threatening Illness," suggests ways that persons with such illness and their loved ones can overcome the barriers to talking about it. Both patients and loved ones often attempt to protect the other, but the author suggests that "only if you and your loved one acknowledge that one of you is not far from the end of life's journey, can you walk together until the end." The following suggestions are made:
- Respect each other's wishes about the information that is wanted. The desire for information ranges from outright denial to wanting to know everything. The terminally ill person has the right to say how much he or she wants to know, and involving a doctor in the conversation may help in deciding how much to share.
- Be honest about feelings, even if you don't know how to respond to the others worries, hopes and fears. Honest sharing can bring relief to both persons.
- Share emotions freely, since hiding them is not helpful. Avoid criticizing the way the other reacts.
- If you are so emotionally overwhelmed that you react "impulsively or even inadequately," recognize that this can happen to anyone. Your physician can recommend sources of support.
- Look for things which bring hope and joy. Set achievable goals that you both can enjoy.
- Consider the last part of life as a journey taken together. Talk about each other’s ideas about what should happen at decision points along the way.
FRONTLINE Explores "Facing Death"
PBS's new Frontline documentary, "Facing Death: How Far Would You Go to Sustain the Life of Someone You Love, or Your Own?" explores the choices physicians and terminal patients make between more, often painful, treatment, and less, which means a quicker death. The program, which originally aired on November 23, garnered wide media interest.
The New York Times article says, "What makes the film difficult to watch is that the dying people featured are typically middle-aged or young, with every incentive to want to keep going and experimenting." One physician notes, "Nobody wants to die, and at the same time nobody wants to die badly." Mount Sinai's Dr. David Nierman says, "The best thing clearly is to improve quickly and to leave. Although terrible, the second best thing is to die but to die quickly. But the worst thing is to remain in this state of suspended animation, because that can go on for months to years. And what’s so sad about it is that the better we get at practicing critical care, the more of these patients we are creating."
The PBS link below has the full program in five video chapters, as well as interviews with the physicians in the film, guides to making decisions about various end-of-life issues, facts and figures about where and how we die and the costs of end-of-life care, related readings, and a list of resources for viewers. (The New York Times, 11/22, tv.nytimes.com/2010/11/23/arts/television/23death.html; PBS Website, www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/facing-death/; The Huffington Post, 11/23, www.huffingtonpost.com/barbara-coombs-lee/facing-death-frontline-sh_b_787685.html)December 1st is World AIDS Day.
In honor of this day, I would like to share some links from the Kaiser Family Foundation's resources that you may find interesting and informative. Below are links to fact sheets and data regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US and throughout the world. Country level HIV/AIDS statistics are particularly useful as you can compare global statistics to those in your partner's country.
Global Resources:
- Fact Sheet: The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic
- Data: Country-Level HIV/AIDS statistics on Globalhealthfacts.org
Domestic Resources:
- Fact Sheet: The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States
- Fact Sheet: Black Americans and HIV/AIDS
- Fact Sheet: Latinos and HIV/AIDS
- Fact Sheet: Women and HIV/AIDS in the United States
- Data: HIV/AIDS statistics on Statehealthfacts.org
The Kaiser Family Foundation has also updated several slides on the status of the epidemic at http://facts.kff.org/results.aspx?view=slides&topic=69.
A tutorial and issue module, on the state of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic are also available from kaiserEDU.org.
