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10/8/2014

Brittany Maynard and Dying with Dignity

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What does it mean to "die with dignity?"

Five US states allow individuals to choose when to end their lives due to a terminal illness. Many safeguards are in place to guide the process and prescription of the lethal medication.

Brittany Maynard is a 29 year old woman with end-stage brain cancer. Her story is all over the internet, and not all information that is posted is accurate.

My hope is that her story and advocacy will raise our awareness and start a discussion. There is a lot of controversy over the topic, which is not surprising, it really is a "life or death" topic.

Get real information, think about it, and talk with your loved ones. None of us know when a terminal illness or major accident is going to happen.

For more information go to:
Article about Brittany Maynard
Death With Dignity
How to Die in Oregon - movie

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9/24/2014

RIP "Death Panels"

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You may remember the term "death panels" from political debates a handful of years ago. There was a provision in the Affordable Care Act that called for Medicare to reimburse doctors for talking to their patients about end-of-life issues, from advanced directives to palliative care. This would be great! But it was excised from the ACA because of politics and fear-based tactics.

The good news is, there is a new report out by the Institute of Medicine and they are working to change this view, and the structure of payment so that these important end-of-life discussions may be covered by Medicare and private health insurance companies.

"A substantial body of evidence shows that broad improvements to end-of-life care are within reach. In "Dying in America", a consensus report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM), a committee of experts finds that improving the quality and availability of medical and social services for patients and their families could not only enhance quality of life through the end of life, but may also contribute to a more sustainable care system."

Read more here:

Full Article
IMO Report Brief


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2/24/2014

Death. 

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Death.  Almost no one wants to talk about it, yet we all have to face it some day. 

The thing to keep in mind is that we each have choices about how we would (ideally) like our death to go.  

I was listening to NPR the other day, and they had a Radiolab segment on death that got me thinking more about what I want personally, and how important it is to think about (and document!) these things in advance.  There was a particularly interesting part of the segment where they were talking to doctors about what their end of life choices would be.  You might be surprised.

As I've been inspired by this, the next few posts will be about death.  I think that contemplating death can very much affect how we live.  It's definitely worth giving it the time of day.

Contemplatively,
Tamara


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    Tamara will be posting about topics relevant to caregivers and seniors. More conversations take place on our Facebook Page.

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  • Home
  • WHAT I DO
    • THERAPY >
      • Individuals >
        • Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
        • Anchored Relational Model (formerly AIR Network)
      • Couples
      • Families
      • In-Home Therapy
      • Therapy Support Groups >
        • Women Caring for a Parent with Dementia
        • Spouse Loss Grief Group
    • Professional development and training
    • Licensure Supervision
    • Advance Care Planning
    • Research and Collaboration
  • Meet Tamara
  • Rates
  • Appointments
    • See the Office
  • Why?
  • Resources
  • Contact me