Not enough people are making end-of-life care plans
- 04 Oct
A survey commissioned by Compassion in Dying says that people only want "comfort care" but few had taken steps that would ensure their wishes were respected.
Charity, Compassion in Dying, have commissioned a poll that shows only 4% of people have signed an advance decision of how they would like their end of life care carried out. Many wrongly believe that their families would be able to ensure that hospitals follow their wishes; however, without a directive a hospital will decide what treatment a person at the end of their life will receive if they cannot express their wishes, not their family.
The poll looked into 2,000 and found that more than half of adults would want what is called "comfort care" at the end of life. This is a measure that ensures the person has no pain or suffering and resuscitation or tube feeding is used. 13% of people wanted limited intervention which does include medication and tube feeding which could prolong life; however they wouldn't be resuscitated or put on a ventilator. Only 12% said they would want every possible measure taken to ensure they were kept alive.
However very few of the adults polled had done anything to ensure that their wishes would be respected if they were unable to communicate with doctors, and 48% wrongly think that their family has the right to make decisions if they cannot communicate themselves.
Only 4% of the people had made advanced decisions and the same amount had given family member legal powers to speak for them through a lasting power of attorney, reports the Guardian.
"Too many people believe that decisions about their end of life can be put off or left to their family or friends to make when the time comes, but the reality is that in the absence of an advance decision or lasting power of attorney, these decisions are made by healthcare professionals," said Danielle Hamm, director of Compassion in Dying.
"In best practice doctors or nurses will consult family members but ultimately, in the absence of legally binding treatment decisions, it is the healthcare team who must decide what they believe to be in the best interests of the patient - and that may not always be the treatment the patient would have chosen. This poll shows that most people have clear preferences about what treatment they do or don't want at the end of life, but startlingly few people have made those preferences clear, and this needs to be addressed."
Image source: http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/115354
Related articles
- 10 Aug
New social enterprise to help adults with vulnerabilities
Aspire Community Benefit Society is taking over the council’s Learning Disability Service for a five year contract, reports the Yorkshire Evening Post.This new model will see the Learning...
- 30 Jul
New app hopes to bring smarter housing for social landlords
The ZONR app combines the latest intelligent sensor technology, smart data transmission and decision engine analytics to centrally monitor and support heating systems across social landlord’s...
- 05 May
New model of care homes in Wakefield to go ahead
WDH's vision was being able to help people live longer, healthier lives and see support by co-ordinated services delivered as close to their homes as possible under the banner of ‘Connecting Care',...
- 29 Dec
App to support young people with autism with social interactions
This new app launched by Samsung aims to help treat the inability to make eye contact. The app, called Look at Me, has been developed with Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and Yonsei...
- 27 Oct
3D maps could help people with visual impairments navigate cities
The official mapping body for Japan GSI have already developed paper maps for those with visual impairments using embossed surfaces to mark out roads, and is now planning a programme which will do...
- 21 Oct
A paralysed man has been able to walk again following cell transplant
Darek Fidyka, who was paralysed from the chest down following a knife attack in 2010, is now able to walk using a frame, reports the BBC. The treatment is a world first and was carried out by...
- 08 Jul
Breakthrough blood test for Alzheimer's cure
An international collaboration led by scientists from King's College London and Proteome Sciences has published a study identifying a set of ten proteins in the blood. This test will then predict the...
- 04 Jul
Trials for Alzheimer's disease is declining
US scientists have said there is an urgent need to increase the number of potential therapies being investigated. They say that only one new medicine has been approved since 2004, reports the BBC.The...
- 02 May
Study into the possibility of delaying the onset of dementia
One third of a million adults in the UK are taking part in a trial, funded by the Medical Research Council to try to predict what factors increases the risk of a person developing dementia.Each of...
- 10 Mar
Scientists believe a blood test could detect the early signs of Alzheimer's
Researchers have found that changes in the blood may signify Alzheimer's disease in its earliest stages. The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, has identified ten molecules in blood...
Responding to the DWP Consultation: Housing Benefit Reform - Supported Housing "I found the event informative and timely it helped me to complete our response to DWP without which I would have struggled." S.S. - Safe House
