http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2012/05/07/aggressive-end-of-life-care-for-medicare-dialysis-patients-is-pervasive/ End-of-Life Choice, Palliative Care and Counseling Sun, 29 Jul 2012 05:06:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2012/05/07/aggressive-end-of-life-care-for-medicare-dialysis-patients-is-pervasive/#comment-707 janice Mon, 09 Jul 2012 21:21:25 +0000 http://blog.compassionandchoices.org/?p=2481#comment-707 I cannot agree with this article. My 89 year old mother has been on dialysis for five years. I just took her home today, after being in an intensive care unit for three weeks, and another almost three weeks in a regular room, with questionable nursing care. My mother was in the hospital four times in six months, in addition to being in rehab in a nursing home for a month in April. She suffered a stroke in March, then a seizure in June. We hired a 24 hour live-in aide for her, and did every thing we could to make her life safer and more comfortable. We just took her home today in an ambulance, she she can no longer walk, move, or barely talk to us. She is currently in a hospital bed in her home, with again, 24 care, in addition to my brother and myself. I just sponge bathed her, and dressed her in her own pajama's for the first time in almost six weeks. The hospital fought us in bringing us home. Her kidney doctor fought us on bringing her home. Elderly dialysis patients are not given the same courtesies and cancer patients. They are encourage to continue dialysis, even when their bodies, and minds are slowly, but surely giving up. My mother could no longer eat, and would throw up her food. It took hours to feed her a meal, I went back to pureed food, which she still threw up. Her kidney doctor called me back ten minutes ago, and asked me if we were sure we were doing the right thing. The two psychiatrists we had to be evaluated by, also said, if this was their mother, they would do the same thing. All our mother does is moan and say she is miserable, in addition to constantly saying, "help." Is this life? Why do we prolong the agony? Why do doctors/hospitals do everything they can to keep people alive? Dying in your own home, and with dignity means a lot to my brother and myself. My mother had a living will, and did not want a feeding tube, which is what the next procedure the hospital wanted to do. People should be allowed to die with dignity in their own homes, not in cold, impersonal hospitals where unless they are in an ICU unit, they are basically ignored, unless they have a strong family or friend advocate. I cannot agree with this article. My 89 year old mother has been on dialysis for five years. I just took her home today, after being in an intensive care unit for three weeks, and another almost three weeks in a regular room, with questionable nursing care. My mother was in the hospital four times in six months, in addition to being in rehab in a nursing home for a month in April. She suffered a stroke in March, then a seizure in June. We hired a 24 hour live-in aide for her, and did every thing we could to make her life safer and more comfortable. We just took her home today in an ambulance, she she can no longer walk, move, or barely talk to us. She is currently in a hospital bed in her home, with again, 24 care, in addition to my brother and myself. I just sponge bathed her, and dressed her in her own pajama’s for the first time in almost six weeks. The hospital fought us in bringing us home. Her kidney doctor fought us on bringing her home. Elderly dialysis patients are not given the same courtesies and cancer patients. They are encourage to continue dialysis, even when their bodies, and minds are slowly, but surely giving up. My mother could no longer eat, and would throw up her food. It took hours to feed her a meal, I went back to pureed food, which she still threw up. Her kidney doctor called me back ten minutes ago, and asked me if we were sure we were doing the right thing. The two psychiatrists we had to be evaluated by, also said, if this was their mother, they would do the same thing. All our mother does is moan and say she is miserable, in addition to constantly saying, “help.” Is this life? Why do we prolong the agony? Why do doctors/hospitals do everything they can to keep people alive? Dying in your own home, and with dignity means a lot to my brother and myself. My mother had a living will, and did not want a feeding tube, which is what the next procedure the hospital wanted to do. People should be allowed to die with dignity in their own homes, not in cold, impersonal hospitals where unless they are in an ICU unit, they are basically ignored, unless they have a strong family or friend advocate.

]]> http://www.compassionandchoices.org/2012/05/07/aggressive-end-of-life-care-for-medicare-dialysis-patients-is-pervasive/#comment-706 Compassion and Choices » Aggressive end-of-life care for Medicare … Treatment World Mon, 07 May 2012 21:53:51 +0000 http://blog.compassionandchoices.org/?p=2481#comment-706 [...] site: Compassion and Choices » Aggressive end-of-life care for Medicare … No [...] [...] site: Compassion and Choices » Aggressive end-of-life care for Medicare … No [...]

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