Advance Directives

Sep 19

0

There Is No Autopilot for Navigating Advance Directives

By Althea Halchuck | Advance Directives, Choice, Dying, Final Exit Network, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Surrogate, The Right to Die, VSED | One Comment

Having a firm Advance Directive is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your end-of-life wishes are honored. But it can be tricky to obtain the right document(s) you need.

Aug 29

0

That Glorious Last Summer: A Patient Says No to Chemo

By Althea Halchuck | Advance Directives, Choice, Disability, Dying, End-of-life care, Suffering and Death, The Right to Die | 7 Comments

What do dying people do when friends, family, and healthcare providers urge them not to give up, to “keep fighting” to the last, and to try everything possible to cheat death? Sometimes, they assert their absolute right to decide what’s best – and enjoy one last, glorious summer.

Aug 15

2

Why I Joined Final Exit Network

By Anonymous | Advance Directives, Choice, Dementia, Disability, Dying, End-of-life care, Final Exit Network, Mental Illness, Suffering and Death, The Right to Die | 2 Comments

A past experience with his beloved, suffering wife, and a staunch belief to not go down the dementia rabbit-hole, led “Andrew” to join Final Exit Network. Read to find out why.

Aug 08

0

Advance Directives Are Key To EOL Success (Maybe). Take Charge.

By Jim Van Buskirk | Advance Directives, Dementia, Disability, Dying, End-of-life care, Right-to-Die Laws, Suffering and Death, VSED | One Comment

Despite your best intentions, don’t wait until “five minutes to midnight” to take care of your end-of-life plan.

Jul 25

2

Surrogate Challenges Can Overwhelm Even An Experienced Hospice RN

By Helen Bauer | Advance Directives, Dementia, Disability, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Grief, Mental Illness, Surrogate | 2 Comments

“Sleep deprivation amplified every emotion and wore me down quickly,” she said. She was exhausted, angry, and felt guilty. She was “flying blind” to be the surrogate as Betty neared death – and she was a trained, experienced hospice RN. What does that say about your chance of being an effective surrogate?

Jun 27

5

Improving End-of-Life Family Meetings Part 3

By David Gruenewald | Advance Directives, Choice, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Suffering and Death, Surrogate | One Comment

As discussed in Part 2, the SPIKES framework is useful to explore the family’s understanding of their loved one’s illness and to share information about medical condition and prognosis. When the purpose of a family meeting is to discuss goals of care, it may be useful to “unpack” care goals using the REMAP framework.

Jun 20

3

Improving End-of-Life Family Meetings Part 2

By David Gruenewald | Advance Directives, Choice, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Suffering and Death, Surrogate | 2 Comments

Just as for any medical procedure, conducting a meeting with families of seriously ill patients requires training and practice. Practitioners must develop skills in structuring serious-illness conversations and responding with empathy in emotionally fraught situations.

Jun 13

10

Improving Family End-of-Life Discussions Part 1

By David Gruenewald | Advance Directives, Choice, Dying, End-of-life care, Funeral Planning, Suffering and Death, Surrogate | 4 Comments

Timely, well-conducted conversations about goals of care in serious illness are associated with improved outcomes, including care aligned with the ill person’s values, less unwanted (and often expensive) care, improved satisfaction with care, and fewer mental health consequences for patients and families.

May 16

4