Medical Terminology
Every health condition comes with its own language, medical terminology and decision options. End of Life is no different. While CPR and DNR may be familiar to many, that doesn’t mean they are understood as intended.
New ‘terms’ such as Allow Natural Death or AND and Voluntary Stopping Eating and Drinking or VSED have been created to add to options to consider. Understanding the words and terms used is one thing. Being able to act on them is another.
Advance Care Planning: Women’s College Hospital and Kathy Kastner
National Advance Care Planning Day sees Women's College Hospital as leaders: bringing the first consumer-created End-of-Life website to Family Doctors. TORONTO APRIL 16...Women's College Hospital (WCH) is the first to embark on a project with Family Doctors and...
High Risk Surgery: Best Case, Worst Case
Decision tool to help understand chances of dying after high risk surgery “People worry about ‘dying poorly’, so one of the reasons for agreeing to surgery is the mistaken belief they’ll likely die - peacefully - in the Operating Room. This rarely happens.” Dr...
Connectivity and Cyber Seniors
Cyber Seniors: the growing internet demographic For the legion of cyber seniors, age 60-90 who rely on internet access to stay connected, it will come as no surprise that I put forward, in a recent tv panel, ‘internet for free’ for the elderly and low income as a...
Palliative Home Visits are the Future
“What I fear the most – what really terrifies me – is being short of breath and not being able to swallow.” So said the husband of his dying wife. This is terrifying to me, too, so I listened closely to the response given by Palliative Care physician, Dr Sandy...
