My grandfather has metastatic cancer and is refusing chemotherapy. How can I persuade him take the treatment?

How do ‘hospice’ and ‘home health’ differ?  Can they be received simultaneously?

Can a patient stay in hospice indefinitely?

Can a patient in hospice be taken to the ER, or admitted to hospital, if necessary?  Some people have been told Medicare will not pay and want to know what to do if pain isn’t controlled.

When dementia has been diagnosed, why should that influence your decisions about other medical problems? 

How can suffering be prevented in seniors?

Decisions, Decisions: guidelines for what to do when someone has a serious or chronic illness.

Several common myths related to Palliative Care (PC) and Hospice need to be cleared up.

Q: Why are so many people afraid of morphine? What are its real benefits as well as its risks?

No.  The Medicare Hospice Benefit was created to help patients who were dying toremain comfortably at home:   ‘dying’ means having a terminal illness and expected to die within six months, if the disease runs its usual course. 

No.  The Medicare Hospice Benefit was created to help patients who were dying toremain comfortably at home:   ‘dying’ means having a terminal illness and expected to die within six months, if the disease runs its usual course. 

How do ‘hospice’ and ‘home health’ differ?  Can they be received simultaneously?

My grandfather has metastatic cancer and is refusing chemotherapy.  How can I persuade him take the treatment?

When dementia has been diagnosed, why should that influence your decisions about other medical problems? 

This continues the discussion:  How can suffering be prevented in seniors?

What is ‘suffering’ and why do people have to suffer?  Can it be prevented?

Decisions, Decisions:  guidelines for what to do when someone has a serious or chronic illness

This is #7 in the series about why we should be concerned with seniors taking so many pills:   Tips to reduce Polypharmacy.

This is #6 in the series about why we should be concerned with seniors taking so many pills:   Beer’s List of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (the Category III Drugs)

This is #5 in the series about why we should be concerned with seniors taking so many pills:   Beer’s List of Potentially Inappropriate Medications - the Category II Drugs.