Talking About End-Of Life Helps The Dying, The Family
Researchers in Boston have concluded that having discussions about end of life care with your doctor not only benefits the health of the dying but also helps the loved one during the grieving process. The researchers found that of the 332 people that tracked who had advanced, incurable cancer, only about 1/3 of them ever talked about their end-of-life care options with their doctors. Per Joe Rojas-Burke who blogged on this subject, “The discussions did not trigger depression or worry. On the contrary, the patients received earlier hospice care, reported less suffering during their final weeks and underwent fewer invasive treatments near death than patients whose doctors avoided such discussions.” The results of these findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The report also concluded that loved ones experienced less regret and showed better health, both physical and emotional during bereavement when the dying had a frank and open conversation with their doctors about dying. Researchers have found that caregivers and family members that must assist the dying through aggressive medical procedures near the end of their life are at higher risk for major depression and regret.
You can read more at http://blog.oregonlive.com/pulse/2008/10/facing_death_and_talking_about.html
October 29th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
[...] of the few families and individuals that actually talk about their end-of-life preferences (read:Talking About End-of-Life Helps the Dying, the Family) many do so with some reluctance because they are afraid that they are unable to change their mind [...]