Part VI Some Hospice Care Providers Hasten Death

RFFM.org ^ | August 16, 2008 | Bill Beckman

[Daniel T. Zanoza]

Editor's Note: This is the sixth in a series of columns first posted on the Illinois Right to Life Committee's (IRLC) website [http://www.illinoisrighttolife.org/] written by Bill Beckman, IRLC's executive director. The column discusses hospice care. Beckman relates nightmarish, firsthand recollections regarding patients and their hospice providers. This series warns readers about end of life issues and the need to monitor the care given to loved ones. The IRLC director also describes what readers can do to protect themselves from the looming culture of death which permeates the thinking of many medical facilities in our nation.

Hospice has developed a good reputation for providing compassionate care for dying patients. A key principle of this care is: hospice neither artificially prolongs life nor hastens death.

Unfortunately, this principle is no longer consistently followed in hospice care (as discussed in the previous article in this series). This lack of consistency requires a “buyer beware” attitude when evaluating which hospice might be appropriate to provide truly compassionate end-of-life care.

Now that we have established that at least some hospices deviate from the original mission of hospice, some real life examples will clarify how hospices can act to hasten death, while justifying such actions as compassionate and caring...

[MindBender26]

Typical un-named source anti-hospice materiel from a group that advocates prolonging life no matter how much pain the terminally ill patient is enduring.

Let them experience the pain for 24, or 2400 hours, then possibly re-evaluate their position.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

As some of who is prolife, this kind of thing is embarassing and counterproductive. I suppose one could make the argument that hospice speeds up a death by giving opiates. It slows down breathing. im sure there have been some folks who died that way. but not intentionally.

this kind of thing gives the pro choice side more ammo.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

I will say this. The people who wrote this article have never been terminally ill.

[isrul]

It depends on the hospice. Would you want to be put into the hospice that “helped” Terri Schiavo. I've dealt with people in different hospices. Some are great. But some make Kevorkian look pro life.

[buckalfa]

Reimbursement for services unfortunately can enter the picture. Some insurance payors reimburse hospice on a per case basis, thus pressure to keep costs low on any one patient, thus opening up “temptation” to hasten the process. Just think what temptations migh exist under national healthcare reimbursement ?

[BykrBayb]

The deathbots have arrived.

Þ

[wagglebee]

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[isrul]

It's frightening.

[wagglebee]

You act surprised.

[isrul]

Just remembered that I heard somewhere that medicare won't pay for a “live discharge”. That's disturbing.

[BykrBayb]

Shocked! Shocked, I tells ya’!

[wintertime]

Soylent Green comes to mind.

[BykrBayb]

The hospice checklist linked in the article looks like a useful resource in determining if a particular hospice adheres to the original intent of hospice’s founder. http://www.illinoisrighttolife.org/HospiceChecklist.htm .

“You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully, but to live until you die.” ~ Dame Cicely Saunders (founder of the modern hospice movement)

[BykrBayb]

And Logan’s Run:

http://corky.net/scripts/logansRun.html

VOICE
He’s lying. No Sandman ever ran.

2ND VOICE
You don’t run. You kill runners.
You have killed runners all your life. -

LOGAN
Yes I have.
(beat)
Now it’s my turn. And I want to
live.

[wagglebee]

“You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully, but to live until you die.”

I think they started omitting the last phrase about the same time that doctors decided that the phrase, "I will keep them from harm and injustice" in the Hippocratic Oath doesn't REALLY mean what it says.

[BykrBayb]

You sound like one of those people who think words have meaning.

[wagglebee]

And as BJ Clinton proved back in 1998, the left prefers to redefine words to suit whatever their agenda is at the time.

[pieceofthepuzzle]

“Let them experience the pain for 24, or 2400 hours, then possibly re-evaluate their position.”

Agreed. When cancer is growing in your lungs and you have progressive air hunger you would hope that those taking care of you make sure you get what you need to dull the pain and quell the fear.

[BykrBayb]

You mean like the way an objective article that praises hospice and aims to protect it from destruction is now called anti-hospice materiel?

Refraining from actively killing someone is now called prolonging life.

Any objection to active involuntary euthanasia is now embarassing and counterproductive to the prolife movement.