Abstract
Patients living with advanced dementia (PLADs) face several challenges to attain the goal of avoiding prolonged dying with severe suffering. One is how to determine when PLADs' current suffering becomes severe enough to cease all life-sustaining treatments, including withdrawing assistance with oral feeding and hydrating, a controversial order. This article broadens the concept of suffering by including suffering that cannot be observed contemporaneously and the suffering of loved ones. Four paradigm shifts operationalize these concepts. During advance care planning, patients can judge which future clinical conditions would cause severe suffering. To decide when to allow patients to die, treating physicians/providers only need to assess if patients have reached patients' previously judged, qualifying conditions. Questions: Will this protocol prevent PLADs' prolonged dying with suffering? Deter early-stage dementia patients from committing preemptive suicide? Sway decision-making surrogates from withholding life-sustaining treatments from patients with middle-stage dementia? Provoke providers' resistance to relinquish their traditional, unilateral authority to determine patients' suffering?
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.