Here is a very encouraging blog post by Wesley Smith reporting on the “No One Dies Alone” program.http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2011/08/27/no-one-dies-alone/ The program relies on volunteers to spend time with and to provide support for patients who would otherwise die alone. What a great form of solidarity and of true compassion. Richard M.
Preparing Americans for Death Lets Hospices Neglect End of Life reports that ‘[m]ore than four in 10 Americans now meet their end in hospice care, drawn by its promise of palliation and pain alleviation instead of extreme measures in their waning days. Medicare’s hospice rolls doubled to 1.1 million patients from 2000 to 2009, the [...]
The Chicago Tribune has an opinion piece today entitled Do not resusictate . . . do not feel remorse. The author describes her mother’s last year of life, struggling with old age and dementia. The mother ultimately dies at home after the family refused to allow a feeding tube. The author also briefly considers how [...]
In The Truth Behind the Hospice Numbers J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, responds to criticisms of poor oversight and rising hospice payments by government.
Relieving Pain in America is a new report by the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine. The introduction to the report describes the report as follows: Relieving Pain in America assesses the state of the science regarding pain research, care, and education and offers a blueprint for developing a population-level strategy to increase awareness [...]
John Keown’s presentation on palliative care at this year’s UFL Conference established the need for the prolife movement to ensure the availability of palliative care. Hospice care is a critical piece, but a new report questions how long hospice care should be funded by taxpayers. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2011/June/27/Growing-Hospice-Care-Brings-Misuse-Concerns.aspx
