Should a terminal patient be told that they are dying?
151293
I think they should know so they can do what they feels needs to be done and or said.
296331
Well, assuming it is not a long term or terminal illness that you are already aware of, I would say it means it is time for you to go to a doctor and get checked out.
1142182
I personally have had two family members in the past five years who medically were brain dead...I think it would be cruel and inhumane to keep them alive for the sake of keeping them alive.  Its not only wrong for them but also for their loved ones.  I myself would want the plugged pulled if this should ever happen to me...my sister says give her three days...I Will try.  Anyways we allowed our family members to go as soon as the Doctors confirmed that nothing could be done.
594177
No. It is actually very selfish. I've been there. When you truly think about it, it would hurt so many people whether you think so or not. People can set up a "do not resuscitate" order so if anything should happen, doctors can not keep them alive, however, euthanasia is out of the question. There would be too many unhappy people euthanizing themselves just because. Life takes some work, but it will be worth it in the end.
300895
Sounds like a lot.  If it is life or death, what choice do you have.  Otherwise, it might be time to ask for a second opinion.
1026947
I think loved ones should be told, because if you die and you knew you were going to die, they would feel betrayed, even if it was for a good reason from your perspective.\n\nWe all feel better if we have a chance to say goodbye and to help someone who needs it, to get ready for it. Surprises are best kept for childen's birthday parties, not funerals.
1072730
I am so sorry about your grandfather. It is impossible for anyone to give you an exact amount of time he has left. However, if he is being cared for by a hospice agency, then his doctor has determined that he has less than 6 months (give or take - you just never know)\nSome signs of impending death are:\nDecreased eating/drinking\nA decrease in urine output\nExtremities become cool and dark\nirregular breathing pattern\na collection of secretions in the mouth/throat - so that it "rattles"when they breath\nI am sorry I can't give you more specific information - no one can.\nI wish you the best.
426587
Doctor assisted suicide allows a terminally ill patient the choice, the chance, and the control of where, when, how, and with whom they are going to die.  Often times when someone is terminally ill, they have no choice.  It's a disease that suddenly takes away their life.  DAS allows them the CHOICE and control, the one thing they may feel they've lost.  \n\nMany also feel like they've become a burden on their loved ones.  If that's the case, they'll talk it over and make the decision as a family.  Most cases when DAS is used it's a single person without family to help.  In that case they just feel like it's the best way to get control back in their life.
633714
yes you should. Why? when a person dies the family is going through so many emotions and everything is a fog.  They are so hurt and sad and at times don't remember who all came to see them and it's not because they are being rude, they are just so consumed with not having the loved one there anymore.  So, yes you are doing the right thing and they will be very happy to know you care.
20163
There is no absolute way to ascertain if anybody is telling you the truth. You have to go with your gut feeling. Always accept what the patient is telling you without judgement. You will not only be using your questions and answers for your assessment, but also your assessment skills of appearance, labs, auscultation, and treatment for withdrawls. You will need to look at the whole picture. This will tell you if the patient is telling you the truth.\nSometimes it is helpful to talk to other nurses who have treated the patient before. They have a good grasp on what the patient has been through and should be able to give you some helpful info.
1024235
It's just a question of the Hippocratic oath.  "First Do No Wrong"  Would you want to be stuck with a dirty needle at any time?  I hope you never have to find out.  Dying this way is very sad and not something to make fun of.
686613
Depends on how serious I think that person is. If she/he sounds pretty serious to me, if I think it is a cry for help else than being a joke then I would get her/him to a professional. But if it is just depression talking I would try to cheer that person up and make him/her see how beautiful life is and death is not.
289512
I work in a nursing home, and needless to say when our patients die no heroic measures are taken, their quality of life is zero and reviving them would be prolonging their agony. One man died in the early hours of the morning, the nurse on duty couldn't feel a pulse or hear him breathing when she listened with a stethoscope. \nThe Dr. came out to certify him a couple of hours later, by this time the man looked waxy and blue, and was very obviously dead, but the Dr. could hear a faint heartbeat, although the man was definitely not breathing.\nHe still certified him though, and before he left he said to the nurse if he comes back to life please call me! We were all seriously freaked, but by the time the undertakers arrived the man hadn't made any miraculous recovery, and was still dead.     Or was he?         Absolute true story!
461242
no, a doctor can estimate but people have lived long after a doctor tells them they are supposed to go. they are not god and do not know when for sure you or anyone will go.
301509
Quill said he supports helping a patient make decisions, comparing it to being a midwife through death. He said the term midwife captured what people were looking for in the last stage of life.\n\n"Assisted dying, in any form, is a last resort," Quill said.\n\nQuill said he advocates hospice care, in which a good doctor-patient relationship is key. He said numerous qualities make hospice care better than hospital care.\n\nThere is a greater emphasis on the relief of suffering, a higher priority placed on the individual, a patient is given choices, there is more aggressive treatment of symptoms and patients aren't abandoned, Quill said. He said hospice care should be standard for all dying patients.\n\nMost terminally ill patients do not receive the type of care they need. Doctors should be better educated in care of the dying, Quill said. He pointed out that most doctors are licensed with little or no background in pain management. \n\n"Helping people die is a legitimate part of medicine," Quill said.\n\nQuill was one of the first doctors to admit he had prescribed enough medication to help a patient die. During the speech, Quill presented a video interview with one such patient, named Cynthia.\n\nCynthia was a graduate student in her mid-30s when she was diagnosed with gastric cancer, a disease with no known successful treatment.\n\nShe became Quill's patient and elected to go through an unlikely experimental treatment to fight the disease, even though it meant spending the end of her life in a round of tests and surgeries. Cynthia also decided she didn't want to die in pain.\n\n"I don't want to die resisting. I want to be at peace," Cynthia said on the video.\n\nWhen the surgeries failed, Quill prescribed an increase in pain killers. Cynthia died quietly a few days later.\n\nQuill counseled Cynthia through her death.\n\nIn the video, Cynthia said she knew she was more than just a disease to Quill, and she knew he wouldn't abandon her, even if the surgeries failed.\n\nVacco vs. Quill was the first physician-assisted suicide case argued in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. Quill advocated a patient's right to die in extreme cases. The Court ruled terminally ill people do not have the right to die.\n\nThe Court also reaffirmed the right of a patient to refuse treatment and gave a green light for states to make their own laws about physician-assisted suicide, Quill said.
992110
I hope you are ready to hear this, but she may be getting ready to die. Have you looked into nursing homes? When it gets to be too much for you to handle, you might want to look into hospice care, they help the patient and the family for the inevitable. But when a person stops eating, they have given up and are preparing to die. When looking at nursing homes, don't get freaked out by the price, because they usually don't stay too long. I'm going through this with my dad right now, actually he wants to go because he knows its getting too hard for mom to take care of him. Best wishes.
209342
They provide comfort measures, such as pain control and nutrition, and other nursing care that any patients would get, but the difference is that they don't do life saving measures such as CPR or defibrillation or other "code" measures.  They are allowed to die peacefully.  As far as where they put them - they can either be in a hospital as a DNR patient, or if a doctor certifies that they have less than 6 months to live, they may be admitted to hospice, which could involve home care, so they may be seen by a home health nurse and given pain meds, etc. at home.