Navigating Health

Archive for May 6th, 2010

During the more advanced stages of a terminal illness, the focus of medical treatment often shifts. Although treatments will continue for as long as possible, an increasing emphasis may be placed on quality of life. To this end, your doctor or careers will increasing lie involve the patient and or his or her family in decisions about how to manage the illness? It is important that everyone concerned starts to think through the many issues associated with an impending death, both emotionally and practically, and how they want to deal with them.

Treatment of terminal illness involves weighing up a huge number of medical, physical, psychological and emotional issues. Theses issues are often best resolved if the patient their family and doctors or health workers discuss them carefully together. Some people may need or want to stay in a hospital, while for others hospice care is the better option. If there is a strong family network to proved care, the patient may even be able to go home. If particular medicines are unlikely to prolong life or if they are doing so at considerable personal cost, for example by causing unpleasant side effects, it may be appropriate to stop them.

This may apply to medicines that have previously been taken to prevent or delay disease progression. This is inevitably a difficult decision to make and should ideally be taken by the affected person in close consolation with those most involved in his or her care and with full support of relevant health care professionals. It may also be appropriate to plan ahead and consider what to do in the event of further deterioration.