How long is too long to hang on when the end of life calls? Abraham Verghese, MD, Stanford physician and best-selling author, discusses the emotional and financial costs of extended end-of-life care in a New York Times book review of Katy Butler's "Knocking on Heaven's Door." In the book, Butler details the drawn-out descent of her father after a stroke and sheds light on the unseen hardships of caring for the slowly dying, both for families of the ill and hired home workers.
From the review:
Butler finds that the health care system — and society — seem quite unprepared for a patient like her father. Had he received a diagnosis of a terminal illness, the family would have been supported by a Medicare-funded hospice team.
…
“But there is no public ceremony to commemorate a stroke that blasts your brain utterly, and no common word to describe the ambiguous state of a wife who has lost her husband and become his nurse.”
The review compares the sometimes six-figure cost of an end-of-life ICU stay to a home health-care worker's salary, which Butler describes as typically "immorally low."
Verghese writes:
My hope is that this book might goad the public into pressuring their elected representatives to further transform health care from its present crisis-driven, reimbursement-driven model, to one that truly cares for the patient and the family.
Previously: A conversation guide for doctors to help facilitate discussions about end-of-life care, How a Stanford physician became a leading advocate for palliative care, Honoring an exploration of the “cost of dying”, Exploring the psychological trauma facing some caregivers and Is $618,616 too much to (try to) save a life?
