Guest: Rodney Warner, author of We Need to Know When to Stop. A recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer discussed findings of various studies and surveys concerning the over treatment of cancer patients at the end of their lives. According to the article, 86% of people stated they want to die at home while 62% of people were hospitalized in their last month of life (28.8% were in intensive care). Why are so many terminally ill people being treated in hospitals (many of them in ICU!) in their last days, when it’s something they don’t want? Many reasons are cited, including the facts that many families don’t have the resources to care for a dying family member at home, patients don’t know about the style of care where they’re being treated, and poor communication. I would add to that not wanting to give up to spare their loved ones pain. Where are the deep, personal discussions with patients about wants and needs for medical care towards the end of life? Why are these discussions avoided like the plague? Decision makers and health care providers need to comply with the wishes of dying cancer patients. Our medical system needs to treat people, not diseases or conditions. Period. Rebroadcast, Sat., Oct. 26th at 5:00 pm ET, 2:00 pm PT, www.W4CS.com
