The New York Times has an article up about whether aggressive medical care is appropriate for elderly people.

HANOVER, N.H. — Edie Gieg, 85, strides ahead of people half her age and plays a fast-paced game of tennis. But when it comes to health care, she is a champion of “slow medicine,” an approach that encourages […]

Over at the PHI Blog, an article about grief experiences with CNA’s is highlighted.
The problem is one cannot access the original article without coughing up some cash. Instead of going by whatever it indicates, I’m going to write here about how CNA’s are often forced to deal with the deaths of their residents.
CNA’s who […]

White Coat writes about his experience watching an old woman die in an ER. She had been transferred to the ER from a nursing home:

As I walked in to evaluate her, I could tell she wasn’t going to live much longer. She didn’t respond when we called her name and she didn’t move when I […]

Hospice under fire.
In the early days of the Medicare hospice benefit, which was designed for those with less than six months to live, nearly all patients were cancer victims, who tended to die relatively quickly and predictably once curative efforts were abandoned.
But in the last five years, hospice use has skyrocketed among patients with […]

What is an Abider?
ALLENTOWN - Nobody in Cedarbrook Nursing Home can get away from Dona Reynolds, not even the dying.
She hugs them. Sings to them. Kisses them. Prays with them.
If residents are just days, hours or minutes from death, she’ll stroke their hair, hold their hand, tell them it’s perfectly OK to head home to […]

The Alzheimer’s Association has recommendations for End of Life Care for People With Dementia. This is the 3rd part of a series.
I read through this, and although long, it is well worth the time. In PDF form, I recommend printing it before reading.

Dementia Care Practice Recommendations for Assisted Living Residences and Nursing Homes
Some Highlights of […]