It certainly wasn't good for the French last August during their heatwave. One wonders how much they've changed for this year... 5 Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires
Posted on 07/23/2004 11:29:10 PM PDT by SUSSA
WHO: European Health Care Fails Elderly
By JAN M. OLSEN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - Many Europeans die in unnecessary pain and discomfort because national health systems lack the skills and services to provide optimal care in the twilight of dying patients' lives, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
Providing care for people with terminal illnesses regardless of age or income has become "a neglected topic in most countries," said Dr. Agis Tsouros of the WHO's Copenhagen-based Europe office.
Tsouros said Europe's lack of care for the terminally ill, or palliative care, partly stems from the breakdown of the traditional haven of family.
"Where there is a strong family presence with family members being there and shouldering a person in a terminal phase, you will get it for free," he told The Associated Press.
The report didn't single out any specific European countries for blame.
Instead, Tsouros said the report was designed as a sweeping look at the need for better care for Europeans in the last stages of their lives, whether they're suffering from terminal illnesses or simply growing old.
He said the report was written to give policy-makers and health care professionals a tool for spreading awareness, encouraging debate and encouraging changes in policies.
"In some European countries there is a tradition or a movement for palliative care," Tsouros said, adding that Britain was renowned for its use of hospices.
But in other countries with modern, well-developed health systems, providing care for the dying has not been given the same priority as treating other patients or developing new medicines, he said.
European and American studies show that while 75 percent of people would like to die at home, only about 32 percent of them actually get that choice, WHO reported.
Tsouros said that in some countries with strong networks of extended families, care for dying relatives is paramount, but that notion is often overlooked by state health systems.
In other countries, where funding for health care isn't given higher priority, the right to be nursed in one's last weeks is regarded as a luxury, he said.
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It certainly wasn't good for the French last August during their heatwave. One wonders how much they've changed for this year... 5 Legislative Days Left Until The AWB Expires
European health-care fails... they should have just ended it there
I thought that the Dutch, among others, preferred the "Final Solution" for their elderly...
Hey everybody, the sun is gonna rise in the east tomorrow. Somebody tell the UN so they can make it official.
They already got a solution to this problem in those socialized medicine countries. Keep them waiting in line until they die. That way they never get old in the first place!
From right to die we go into preparing the way for...
Duty to Die.
Remember Thursday is Soylent Orange Day :-)
There is also excellent Hospice Homecare available in Ireland. Of course, Ireland also remains a very family orientated nation - with the family unit enshrined in the constitution.
"It's official the UN declares European socialized medicine a failure for the elderly. WHO is a UN organiztion."
that's what i'm trying to find out. who is a un organization?
(salutes abbott and costello)
I'm surprised they just don't gas their old people. It's the next "logical" step.
I don't know.
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