Category: Ethics
Articles about end-of-life ethical issues including ethical dilemmas
Finding Comfort Through Palliative Radiation: A Guide for Patients, Families, and Healthcare Providers
Palliative radiation therapy offers targeted symptom relief for patients with advanced cancer, reducing pain, bleeding, and other distressing symptoms. This comprehensive guide empowers patients and families to understand treatment options, manage side effects, and make informed decisions that prioritize comfort and quality of life.
No One Has to Die Alone: How End-of-Life Doulas Provide Comfort and Companionship
The fear of dying alone is growing as families live farther apart and more people age without close support networks. End-of-life doulas and life transition coaches offer a solution by providing continuous companionship, emotional support, and guidance throughout serious illness and the dying process.
The Hidden Crisis: Why Earlier Hospice Care Can Extend Life and Transform End-of-Life Experiences
Despite Medicare's six-month hospice benefit, most patients receive care for only 18-21 days, often when already transitioning to death. Research shows early hospice enrollment can extend life by 29-81 days while dramatically improving quality of life. Life transition coaches help families navigate earlier hospice and palliative care adoption for better outcomes.
Three Wishes: What a Dying Patient Taught Me About Living Without Regrets
A hospice nurse reflects on a powerful moment with a dying patient who painted "Three Wishes"—dandelions symbolizing childhood innocence and life's fleeting nature. This experience teaches us to examine how we're living, who we love, and what matters most. Learn why advance directives and living with fewer regrets matter for everyone.
Making Compassionate Care Accessible: A Guide to Sliding Scale Fees for End-of-Life Doulas
Looking to determine appropriate pricing for end-of-life doula services? This detailed guide compares sliding-scale fees with full-price and donation-based options. Learn effective strategies for establishing fair rates, applying a sliding-scale system, and ensuring compassionate care remains affordable for all families.
What Matters Most: The Three Things People Want Before They Die
A palliative care doctor shares people's three most common wishes at the end of life: mending relationships, expressing gratitude, and saying "I love you." Planning for a good death with the help of a life transition coach can help you accomplish more meaningful goals and ensure your final days reflect your values.
Understanding Terminal Agitation and Restlessness: A Comprehensive Guide for Caregivers and Families
Navigating the complexities of end-of-life care can be challenging. This article delves into the nuances of terminal agitation and terminal restlessness, providing caregivers and family members with the essential knowledge to better understand and support their loved ones during the final stages of life.
A New Path Forward: Using the Frailty Trajectory Model to Navigate Healthcare Decisions
The Frailty Trajectory Model offers a new way to understand how health changes over time, especially for older adults. This approach helps healthcare practitioners and life transition coaches guide patients through illness with compassion and clarity, making it easier to plan care that matches personal values and goals.
Understanding Medication Risks in Hospice Dementia Care: A Guide for Families and Healthcare Teams
Recent University of Michigan research found that benzodiazepines and antipsychotics commonly prescribed in hospice care may significantly increase mortality risk for people with dementia. This article explores these findings and provides essential advocacy guidance for families, caregivers, and hospice professionals.
When Treatment Conflicts with Values: Why Planning Your Care Goals Before Illness Is Critical
New research reveals that 37% of advanced cancer patients feel their treatment doesn't match their personal care goals—nearly twice the rate of other serious illnesses. This disconnect highlights our healthcare system's focus on fixing problems after they occur, without considering comfort or quality of life. Discover why planning your values and care preferences before illness strikes can prevent this misalignment and ensure you receive care that truly honors what matters most to you.
Breathing Support Decisions at End-of-Life: When Comfort Matters More Than Time
Facing difficult decisions about breathing support at the end of life? Understand the differences between BIPAP, intubation, and ventilators. Learn how complete advance directives guide families toward comfort-focused care and how end-of-life doulas provide affordable, compassionate support during these challenging choices.
Revolutionizing Comfort: The Role of Macy Catheters in Hospice and Palliative Care
Discover the transformative role of Macy catheters in hospice and palliative care. This comprehensive guide explores how these innovative devices enhance patient comfort, simplify medication administration, and support caregivers. Learn about their benefits, proper use, and impact on the quality of life for those receiving end-of-life care.
How SupportNow.org Transforms Support for Families Facing End-of-Life Challenges
Learn how SupportNow.org can transform the way end-of-life doulas, caregivers, and families coordinate practical support during life's most challenging moments. This free platform brings together financial help, meal coordination, volunteer assistance, and family updates in one simple place.
How End-of-Life Doula Training Creates Better Hospice Experiences for Patients and Families
End-of-life doulas are transforming hospice care quality through specialized training and collaborative partnerships. Learn how these compassionate professionals enhance patient experiences, support families, and improve hospice satisfaction scores when properly integrated into care teams.
The Hidden Reality of Dialysis: Understanding Life Support, Quality of Life, and Planning Ahead
Dialysis is a choice, not a requirement for end-stage kidney disease. While this life support treatment can extend life, it significantly impacts quality of life through fatigue, time constraints, and physical challenges. You have the right to choose comfort care and hospice instead. Learn why discussing dialysis preferences should be part of every living will and how end-of-life doulas can help navigate these important decisions.
When Time Becomes Finite: Navigating the Emotional Aftermath of a Terminal Diagnosis
A terminal diagnosis sends shockwaves through the lives of patients and their loved ones. This article delves into the trauma experienced by all involved, examining the intricate challenges faced by hospice and palliative care providers in offering compassionate support while navigating the complex emotional landscape of end-of-life care.
When Fear Prevents Care: How Death Anxiety Threatens Hospice Nursing Excellence
Nursing students' fear of death significantly impacts their readiness for hospice care, affecting the quality of end-of-life services. With severe staffing shortages and insufficient mentorship, new nurses enter hospice unprepared. End-of-life doula education through programs like death doula schools provides crucial solutions.
Navigating the Minefield: Potentially Inappropriate Medications in Geriatric and End-of-Life Care
Delve into the complexities of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) for older adults, especially those in hospice and palliative care. This comprehensive guide explores identification, risks, and alternatives to PIMs, providing valuable insights for healthcare professionals to enhance medication safety and quality of life for geriatric patients.
When Death Comes Unexpectedly: Why Being Prepared Matters More Than Ever
Every year, thousands die in emergency departments unprepared for death. Sudden death in hospitals can be especially shocking for patients and families who haven't planned ahead. This guide highlights why preparation is important and describes how end-of-life doulas can assist.
The Adult Priority You Can’t Afford to Skip: Your Complete Advance Directive
If you're 18 or older without an advance directive, you're putting yourself and your loved ones at risk. This comprehensive guide explains why every adult—regardless of age—should prioritize creating a thorough living will reviewed every 3-6 months, and how end-of-life doulas can help.
Staying Connected Through Health Journeys: A CaringBridge Guide for Families and End-of-Life Doulas
Discover how CaringBridge helps families and end-of-life doulas stay connected during health journeys. This free platform offers privacy controls, easy updates, and community support for chronic illness, terminal illness, and life transitions.
When Family Goes Silent: Finding Help When Loved Ones Won’t Step Up
Primary caregivers often face difficult emotions of isolation when loved ones step back during a chronic or terminal illness. This article thoughtfully addresses these feelings, delves into the reasons for this distance, and provides constructive communication strategies to foster reconnection with hesitant family members. It also highlights alternative support avenues for caregivers, ensuring they feel valued and supported.
Enhancing Patient Care: Recognizing Subtle Changes in Level of Consciousness for Hospice and Palliative Nurses
Discover essential techniques for hospice and palliative care nurses to identify subtle changes in patients' level of consciousness. This comprehensive guide covers assessment methods, red flags, and best practices for enhancing patient care—valuable insights for neurological nursing specialists and those aspiring to specialize in this field.
When Goodbye Isn’t Clear: Understanding and Healing from Ambiguous Loss
Ambiguous loss is a type of grief that happens when loss feels unclear or unfinished. Unlike traditional grief, this emotional pain lacks closure, making it harder to process. Learn to recognize the signs of ambiguous loss and discover practical healing strategies to help you move forward with hope.