Kudos to Sarah Baldauf for an excellent and well-written article on palliative care. As a doctor who specializes in palliative medicine, I truly appreciate that the article dispels many of the misconceptions about palliative care. Readers who want to know more about palliative care, learn of resources and read profiles of patients who have benefited from palliative care are invited to visit a new Web site, www.PalliativeDoctors.org, which was created by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, the organization of doctors who specialize in palliative medicine.
Gail Austin Cooney, MD
President, American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
Director, Hospice of Palm Beach County, West Palm Beach, FL
Gail Austin Cooney MDof FL1:04PM August 28, 2009
Wow, I have never read a more accurate and well written description of Palliative Care. I am a Palliative Care Nurse Practitoner at a large urban hospital. After just visiting a chronically ill gentleman & his family in the ICU going over many of these very discussion points, I read this article. What an impressive journalist to be able to put all the pieces together for the reader to better understand what a wonderful service palliative care provides to chronic and terminally ill patients. Bravo.
holli martinezof UT7:00PM August 26, 2009
It is always difficult to make a decision for someone else. Ideally the best time to make health care decisions is when your are healthy, or at least in a position to tell close family and friends how you want to be treated if you become critically ill. My father always made it clear that he never wanted to be "hooked up to any G** D*** machine", and now my widowed mom has made her wishes known in the same way. Too often the emotional decision is to "do whatever you can do for them" rather than knowing their wishes and advising medical attendants to "make them comfortable and limit pain". Think of not having advanced medical directive in place and known to close family/friends or dying without a will as final ways to punish your close family and friends. Modern medicine is capable of prolonging physically life almost indefinitely.
JSof NY1:52PM August 26, 2009
Congratulations for writing one of the far too few sane informative articles relating to the healthcare debate. Keep up the good work.
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Gail Austin Cooney MD of FL 1:04PM August 28, 2009
holli martinez of UT 7:00PM August 26, 2009
JS of NY 1:52PM August 26, 2009
David of AZ 1:34PM August 26, 2009