Palliative Care: A Matter of Life & Death

Forget the politicians: the real debate about the end of life happens every day in hospitals and homes around the country. From caregivers to patients, hear the many voices of end-of-life care in FLYPs short documentary. See the full story on palliative care at http://www.flypmedia.com/issues/35/#1/1

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Jamaica Hospital
• health care
• health care reform
• palliative care
• hospice care
• James Nunes
• end of life care
• death

[schuur451]

@georgianmilan1 I'm sorry to hear that your mother did not die in the way she would have wanted. There are good hospice services, and there are bad ones. It definitely sounds like her drug regimen was inappropriate. As a nurse in an ICU my goal is always to give patients and their families as much meaningful time together as possible, though sometimes balancing consciousness with comfort is difficult. I wish the nurses and physician would have worked with you more closely in caring for your mom.

[schuur451]

If you want to see a more comprehensive look at this issue Bill Moyers did a great documentary on this a few years ago. Title is "On Our Own Terms" I think. Treated the topic wonderfully.

There need to be more physicians willing to take this challenging specialty on. They don't decide for you, but they do help you clarify your goals and make aggressive treatment more comfortable. There is a huge difference between palliative and hospice care.

[deanna2804]

To rrevved. You are obviously a very uninformed individual. Palliative Care is about keeping patient that have chronic illness comfortable. You can have both curative and palliative measures taking place at the same time.

[georgianmilan1]

Murderers...Put My Mother Down Like A Dog....All The Neighbors were Shocked...Giving Her Morphine..and rendering her unconcious until death...due to not eating is not dignity...it's Murder! Bull Shit!

[maburnetify]

If I ever have a form of painful cancer or respiratory distress I would love to be under good palliative care.  Morphine and other sedatives are wonderful medicines to help us fall asleep and feel no pain. We must have comfort knowing that our loved one died painlessly but it doesn't ease our pain. The ones left behind feel the most pain. Palliative care is a blessing. Being sick in any way is torture. My Dad just died under the care of Palliative care and I feel peace but will miss him.

[weldon0m]

respect!

[georgiannmilan]

My mom was put down like a dog...and her neighbors were all shocked that she had died, because she was up eating, and getting mail daily before Dr. Death started giving her morphine-( mom didn't know it).... possibly thought she was running out of insurance? There are alternatives to cancer...Cellect.org, Alkaline diets, etc..but doctors don't make money from this.

[rrevved]

How about this....

I don't want these anti-life (from pre-birth) jew liberals deciding -anything- about my life's end. Fuck them.

How 'bout that.