Examining Palliative Care
A blog reader emailed us with a story about her father's experiences of palliative care and his eventual death in hospital as nutrition was withdrawn. It's very kind of her to have shared this experience with us in the interview below
While her father was ready to die after a prolonged illness, she clearly describes the distress patients suffer when nutrition is not provided; in her words, "you don't do this to animals".
I have a feeling that many other people may have concerns about palliative care. Are patients getting the care they deserve? Are we doing our best to make sure the end of life is a pain free as possible? Is the decision to not to provide nutrition always in the best interests of the patient? Is it taken at the right time, and do families feel that they have enough say in that process?
If you have experience and/or concerns about this I'd be interested in hearing from you.
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