The health care needs of those with chronic and serious life-threatening illnesses are definitely complexed. I also emphatically recognize that dying is the ultimate ending to life’s journey. It is sad to say that our health care system has come to acknowledge “the right to die” through the almighty dollar. Medicaid workers are now being instructed to “encourage” patients NOT to call 911 and hospitals are being penalized for too many ED visits from the chronically-ill. The light at the end of this “tunnel” (or more commonly called our continuum of care) is that quality of life care rather than
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Death is a reality
Certainly the violence and hatred we see and hear about that ends in a “killing” (death) follows a different venue. Even a violent death with its sorrow, resentment, and fears has its own set of lessons to be learned. And, looking at the immortality of humankind and gaining understanding about the end of life cannot be understated. You may say that this Website is in support of Death, Dying and our Quality of Living. Its name is https://vitalcommlines.com Anyway, check it out …..give your opinions, questions, suggestions.
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National Healthcare Decision Week – April 11- April 17
Advanced Care Planning is the cornerstone of Vital Comm Lines, Inc. There is now an entire week devoted to encouraging people plan for “tomorrow” and “Take Charge of Your Care”…our company tagline) We are a non-profit organization with the following mission: To support the right of each individual to have their decisions regarding quality of life and end of life honored by health professionals and significant others. Below is an excerpt from Nathan Kottkamp, the founder of National Healthcare Decision Day (on April 16th) I serve on several hospital ethics committees as part of my health law practice, and I
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Cannabis – Safe Access
To coach patients and caregivers in safe, legitimate, integrative cannabinoid health care, as well as collect data related to the efficacy of cannabinoid medicine. To provide guidance accessing “batch-tested” medicinal cannabis products from the most trusted manufactors for the therapeutic use of symptom relief and pain management.
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Burning Van -A lesson in Loss
I moved to Escondido in April 1980 to work on my unfinished business and to learn about self-love. I attended a “Life, Death and Transition” workshop with Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and an additional three weeks of “Intensive Growth Psychodrama” with Marti Barham. I want to share an experience I had one Sunday in October of that year. I was driving my recently purchased 1971 VW van to a convention where a friend and I would sell books and tapes and tell folks more about Elisabeth’s work. On the way, my engine caught fire and the whole van burnt into “junk” before
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Opinion: Aid-In-Dying option
The essence of this conversation is on the debate surrounding the term “Physician-Assisted Suicide.” Most health professional agree that this term (that we’ll call PAS) applies only to patients that are diagnosed as terminally-ill. The debate arises in the ethics or moral implications. My understanding (as in a PBS series I watched) of the Oregon Law supporting PAS is simply about a prescription consisting of enough sedative-type medication to stop respirations much like a “deep” sleep. Of course, there is much involved regarding counseling and hospice management prior to this discussion and making a decision. For more information, you can
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