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Conditions and diseases
"It is better to have one bad general in charge than two good ones." - Napoleon In Arizona, you may name multiple agents to act on your behalf under a single durable medical power of attorney. However, it is generally…
“It is better to have one bad general in charge than two good ones.”
– Napoleon
In Arizona, you may name multiple agents to act on your behalf under a single durable medical power of attorney. However, it is generally advisable not to go down this route. This is because with multiple agents in charge, there is a likelihood of conflict.
Multiple agents are all authorized to make choices about your end-of-life decisions. …
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Why naming co-agents in your power of attorney backfires
Conditions and diseases
Extreme longevity People claim they want to live to be 100, yet is that a good thing? How you get there may make all the difference. Here's my take on Blue Zones and the prospect of living to 100. "Blue…
Extreme longevity
People claim they want to live to be 100, yet is that a good thing? How you get there may make all the difference. Here’s my take on Blue Zones and the prospect of living to 100. “Blue Zone” is a nonscientific term popularized twenty years ago by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic explorer who studied five geographic regions where many people live to be over ninety or 100. …
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Who wants to live to be a hundred?
Conditions and diseases
"It is a sad state that fear of liability will oftentimes negate the moral choice made by a terminally ill patient." - Journal of Air Law and Commerce Background In August 2024, I gave a presentation, "You're suing me because…
“It is a sad state that fear of liability will oftentimes negate the moral choice made by a terminally ill patient.”
– Journal of Air Law and Commerce
Background
In August 2024, I gave a presentation, “You’re suing me because I kept your mom alive? Avoiding wrongful life lawsuits.” I discussed the consequences for medical staff when they disregard a valid DNR and revive a person, against their wishes. There are numerous nationwide …
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Airlines’ policy ignores your do not resuscitate (DNR): Discover why and some ways to protect yourself
Conditions and diseases
"Health is a matter of choice, not a mystery of chance." —Aristotle As an end-of-life (EOL) consultant, one aspect of my job is advance care planning, which involves helping people create an advance directive. An advance directive (AD) has two…
“Health is a matter of choice, not a mystery of chance.”
—Aristotle
As an end-of-life (EOL) consultant, one aspect of my job is advance care planning, which involves helping people create an advance directive. An advance directive (AD) has two components. The living will portion lists the treatment options and choices you want or don’t want if you become incapacitated due to an accident or a medical crisis. In the second portion, …
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To avoid unwanted medical treatment: Choose a bulldog surrogate to fight for you
Conditions and diseases
"Rejoin the natural cycle: to know that the last gesture you'll make will be gentle and beneficial just feels like the right thing to do." - Recompose founder Katrina Spade I love gardening and watching things grow, so I found…
“Rejoin the natural cycle: to know that the last gesture you’ll make will be gentle and beneficial just feels like the right thing to do.”
– Recompose founder Katrina Spade
I love gardening and watching things grow, so I found the idea of human composting an intriguing concept. For those who find cremation unconventional or even unsettling, the process of disposing of the remains of a deceased loved one has taken a …
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Grandpa’s remains are helping push up daisies
Conditions and diseases
"Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heartwarming!" - Joseph B. Wirthlin I love my role as a hospice volunteer mostly because I enjoy meeting the patients and hearing their life stories. I heard a tale from the Vietnam…
“Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heartwarming!”
– Joseph B. Wirthlin
I love my role as a hospice volunteer mostly because I enjoy meeting the patients and hearing their life stories. I heard a tale from the Vietnam vet who won the Congressional Medal of Honor, which he humbly said was for “just driving a jeep.” (He later admitted that he saved a general by “just driving a jeep” through …
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Breaking through the cobwebs of dementia
Conditions and diseases
"If you don't know how to die, don't worry; Nature will tell you what to do on the spot, fully and adequately. She will do this job perfectly for you." - M. Montaigne (1533-1592) In 2021, former U.S. President Bill…
“If you don’t know how to die, don’t worry; Nature will tell you what to do on the spot, fully and adequately. She will do this job perfectly for you.”
– M. Montaigne (1533-1592)
In 2021, former U.S. President Bill Clinton was rushed to a California hospital suffering from a urinary tract infection that had developed into sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection. According to the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, …
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The old man’s friend: Refuse antibiotics to achieve a peaceful death
Conditions and diseases
"One should . . . be able to see things as hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise." - F. Scott Fitzgerald I'm in a massive ballroom with numerous tables and promotional placards lining the walls and center.…
“One should . . . be able to see things as hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald
I’m in a massive ballroom with numerous tables and promotional placards lining the walls and center. In attendance are every pharmaceutical manufacturer and their sales reps. All the biggies are here; Pfizer, Merck, Novartis, and AstraZeneca, to name a few. Their drugs are household names because they advertise …
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Unlocking the secrets of cancer conferences: an end-of-life counselor’s journey among pharmaceutical giants
Conditions and diseases
'This victory ensures that advance planning documents are legally enforceable and will be respected by doctors; if they are not, individuals can hold providers accountable for violating their health care decisions." - Greenberg decision, 2022 Dr. Gerald Greenberg was a…
‘This victory ensures that advance planning documents are legally enforceable and will be respected by doctors; if they are not, individuals can hold providers accountable for violating their health care decisions.”
– Greenberg decision, 2022
Dr. Gerald Greenberg was a New York dentist when in 2010, he was diagnosed with early-onset dementia. In 2011, he executed a living will stating the medical staff was to provide comfort measures only and no …
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What’s the sense of having a living will if it’s not honored?
Conditions and diseases
"Arriving at an acceptance of one's mortality is a process, not an epiphany." - Atul Gawande Imagine a group of old (mature) friends gathered for a "girls" weekend in balmy Florida. The friendships started in grammar school and have continued…
“Arriving at an acceptance of one’s mortality is a process, not an epiphany.”
– Atul Gawande
Imagine a group of old (mature) friends gathered for a “girls” weekend in balmy Florida. The friendships started in grammar school and have continued for the better part of 50 years. These women have met at least once a year for more than 25 years and shared life’s ups and downs. On this trip, one of …
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Making death conversations fun!
Conditions and diseases
"Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die." — Nanak Her funeral was yesterday, and there was a huge turn-out. She was 67 and never cussed or said a bad word about anyone.…
“Death would not be called bad, O people, if one knew how to truly die.”
— Nanak
Her funeral was yesterday, and there was a huge turn-out. She was 67 and never cussed or said a bad word about anyone. She was much-friended and well-loved. In late January 2022, she was diagnosed with stage-4 cancer in her lungs, which metastasized to her liver and bones. At first, some medico used the word …
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A bad death: the importance of truth-telling at end-of-life
Patient voices
As a surrogate consultant, people often ask me for advice on the best advance directive (AD) to cover their medical and end-of-life (EOL) wishes. Unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. An AD is a “legally recognized” document usually containing…
As a surrogate consultant, people often ask me for advice on the best advance directive (AD) to cover their medical and end-of-life (EOL) wishes. Unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. An AD is a “legally recognized” document usually containing a living will spelling out your preferences and treatment options when you cannot speak for yourself. It also includes the designation of a health care surrogate/proxy to follow your wishes. …
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Successfully navigating advance directives to choose your best one
Patient voices
It never ceases to amaze me that some people do not realize they have the absolute right to make their own health care choices even if everyone else thinks it’s the wrong choice. Once they recognize that every medical option…
It never ceases to amaze me that some people do not realize they have the absolute right to make their own health care choices even if everyone else thinks it’s the wrong choice. Once they recognize that every medical option is theirs to accept or reject, the effect can be liberating.
In the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 Act, this right to choose is outlined, including the right to refuse treatment, …
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That glorious last summer: A patient says no to chemo
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