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| Author and Father |
New York Time, December 1, 2014
Hoping for a Good Death is an essay about the hospital death
of a 78 year-old man by his daughter who teaches medical ethics at the University
of Oregon. It’s a good introduction to a
discussion of advanced directives. Dr.
Reis tells us that chaotic dances of death surround even the death-beds of
those who are informed.
One of the commenters recommended “the Institute of Medicine report on Dying in America: Improving Quality and
Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life. It has plenty of data
and support for making advance care planning a normal part of being an adult,
no matter one's state of health.”
Dr. Reis writes: "The biggest lesson I have learned is that every family should not only discuss end-of-life wishes but should act on them by filling out an advance directive. If my father had completed one, his end might have played out differently. By the time we told the medical staff that he didn’t want to be hooked up to machines, he already was, and we acquiesced in letting things take their course, with the hope that he might improve."
See also: KOHD post on IOM Report.
Dr. Reis writes: "The biggest lesson I have learned is that every family should not only discuss end-of-life wishes but should act on them by filling out an advance directive. If my father had completed one, his end might have played out differently. By the time we told the medical staff that he didn’t want to be hooked up to machines, he already was, and we acquiesced in letting things take their course, with the hope that he might improve."
See also: KOHD post on IOM Report.
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