End of life care – Is this right?

**** that. If I’m at a point where I can’t wipe my own arse and the govt want to take my house to put me into care and eventually starve me to death I hope I have the opportunity to buy a shedload of vodka and aspirin and sort myself out.

I leave doctoring to the doctors, so can’t comment on the best way of letting people go, but if I get the chance I’d sooner go on my own terms.

Trouble with a stroke Wrecker, is that the change from being able to wipe your own behind and not, can take a split second. After that you may not be able to be able to swallow or speak never mind pour Vodka.
End of life care is free btw, so your home is safe, not that it would be of much use.

I understand, valid points. I did say if I had the chance/opportunity. I have an agreement with a friend about this so I hope I lose it first!

My wife is a GP and up until recently a Senior Palliative Medicine Dr at a Hospice.

I think Hannah has been very clear and explicit about what the pathway does and why. Please trust the medical staff at the hospital. Whilst it seems to go against our laypersons common sense. They are trained and they are doing their utmost to make sure that your Gran has the most dignified and pain free death possible.

I think Hannah has been very clear and explicit about what the pathway does and why. Please trust the medical staff at the hospital. Whilst it seems to go against our laypersons common sense. They are trained and they are doing their utmost to make sure that your Gran has the most dignified and pain free death possible

I’ve no argument with any of those points but I would add to that post that we are only able to be as pain free and dignified as the law will allow. It’s the law that needs to change.

[edit]
To the OP, If my point is straying too far from any useful or bearable input then please say so and I’ll save the soapboxing for another day. The last thing I would want to do is make an emotionally very difficult time any worse than it needs to be.

Firstly OP, this is a hard time and you have my sympathy in this tough situation.

Like anything else the application of LCP should be individually assessed and applied. My father was prematurely put on the LCP without any consultation with us his family. This I had a problem with – so I challenged. If you feel OP, that you or rather your relatives next of kin has not been consulted or the needs of your relative have not been fully assessed – make sure you challenge and push for a discussion to explore the prognosis and options and agree a way forward.

All the best.

Please trust the medical staff at the hospital.

I would, but when asked fairly straightforward questions about her care they kick the responsibilty upstairs.

I have been told that I need to speak to the Doc, but he has not been seen all week. My aunt managed to get from Australia quicker than the doc could get onto the ward.

A simple platitude like ‘she’s getting the care that’s the best for her’ would have saved a lot of stressing this week.

A random stranger on a MTB forum has done a better job of explaining things (Thanks again, Hannah) than someone in a ‘caring profession’ in the same building.

I am quite satisfied that easing my gran to her end is the right thing to do. But if you are going to have a formal process for doing that, you might as well expedite the process.

Terry Pratchett had the right idea.

Britain sucks for all sorts of reasons, and this is very much one of them.

Not really sure end of life care is a stick to beat britain with. It sucks pretty much everywhere and we at least try to cope with it:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/oct/06/uk-tops-end-of-life-care-index

As someone who runs an acute stroke unit on a day to day basis and sees dense and highly comprising strokes I’ll say my piece;

I’m all for euthanasia, the current way of doing things seems unfair.

What hannah has said is the best we can offer legally.

Sometimes we unnecessarily prolong people’s lives in the last days not for their benefit but for the surrounding family/friends. This is also undignified in my opinion.

Hope you grandmother finds some peace.

Op,
Do what you need for your nan.
Do not be afraid to speak up for her, and yourself. It’s better to do it and make a mistake than have regrets later that you didn’t.
The fact that you have concerns of reason enough to speak to them.
Decent palliative care involves making things right for the patient, and their family.

@Scott tough times, our thoughts are with you and your nan. As above ask the doctors are carers whatever auestions you want.

Hannah, thanks for contributing, very much appreciated what you do for a living. I know I couldn’t

I don’t think this is the time / thread to discuss but my neighbiur is a lrofessor soeciLising in care / end of oife for the elderly and got a CBE this year for her work. It’s a very complex area with some very difficult choices. I also have spoken at length to insurers and administrators about end of life health cover. Agai highly sensitive and subjects many are rightly unwilling to discuss in public

Scott as everyone has said it is a very tuff time. It was only a year ago I spent all day every day on the intensive care unit not knowing if my friend would make it.

And this thread sent me back there with great feelings of sadness. If you feel you are not being kept sufficiently informed, take your concerns to the people at PALS.
If only because it may make the doctor show his face.

For the sake of completeness, my gran died last Tuesday.

A doc turned up and explained that she had kidney failure and any fluids etc. would not have helped the situation.

Which explained all, and was all we wanted.

Thanks for the kind thoughts. Why is it always at Xmas?

Thanks for updating us.
Hope you managed to have some sort of Xmas.

Thanks for the update. Sad times. Take care.

Hope you’re OK.
Best to all.