Ben White, Queensland University of Technology; Casey Haining, Queensland University of Technology; Lindy Willmott, Queensland University of Technology e Rachel Feeney, Queensland University of Technology
The NT government has invited views on access to voluntary assisted dying. But whether it should include access for those with dementia is not so clear cut.
Turning 50 can be the time of your life – but it also means adapting to new challenges.
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Someone who is self-aware may be a better choice then your nearest and dearest, when it comes to enacting your will and preferences as you age.
You can start these conversations simply, like saying, “I need to think about the future. Can you help me?”
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When you prepare to talk about end-of-life decisions and the legacy you want to leave behind, try thinking about them as gifts you bestow to family and friends.
Whether CPR is performed in hospital will depend on the patient’s prospects of survival and recovery. But the doctors are also concerned about what the patient wants.
With family together, either in person or by video, the holidays offer an opportunity for deep, personal discussions about the future.
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If you became suddenly unwell, would your family or health team know your wishes? Here’s why advance care planning should be part of Australia’s strategic response to COVID-19.
In a research study, 84 per cent of residents and families who received a pamphlet about end-of-life choices felt encouraged to think about their future care.
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The seriously ill and their families often want to protect each other from thoughts of death. Conversation about end-of-life choices are, however, essential to a good death.
Few people like to talk about death, but research is suggesting that people should talk with loved ones about their wishes for their final days. You may be surprised which family member is most supportive.
In one study of seriously ill older Canadians, 28 per cent of participants wanted “comfort care” (meaning no curative treatments) but this was documented in only four per cent of their charts.
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The Victorian law provides if a child has made a valid advance directive including instructions to refuse a particular medical treatment, a health practitioner must not provide that treatment.
My Health Records were a big government investment, but they’re just not being used.
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Will the My Health Record help people with communication difficulties share their health information across health providers?
Having an advance care directive ensures your values and wishes are known, even beyond a time when you can no longer speak for yourself.
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At least one-third of patients receive non-beneficial treatments at the end of their life. Having a good advance care directive that you share with others helps them know and respect your wishes.
We all have different ideas about the care we want at the end of our life. Some of us want doctors to do whatever it takes to keep us alive. Others don’t want to be kept alive if it means living with significant disability or a poor quality of life.
Let’s talk.
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A new Medicare proposal would reimburse doctors for appointments to help patients plan what care they would want if they are too ill to speak for themselves. It’s about time.
The concept of a timely and dignified death has been replaced by an imperative to keep us alive at all costs.
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We all die eventually, of course, but these days it’s very hard for doctors and loved ones to let patients and relatives die without doing “whatever it takes”.