End-of-Life Communication and Care

Good evening from Spokane, WA where I am attending the annual meeting of the Washington State Medical Association.

This morning I attended a session on improving end-of-life communication and care. Sadly, some of our wonderful cancer patients have to journey to the end of their life. Although I started this blog with excitement about our Survivorship program and plan on pursuing strategies of hope and deliverance from cancer, the reality is some of our cancer patients are being called away from this life. One of our main commitments is to these patients. We want them to know that they will never be abandon by their medical care givers. We are committed to helping them on this journey. We are committed to relieving pain, minimizing suffering, and empowering their family and/or loved ones to be care givers for them during a very difficult time.

One tool we have available to use which will really help us understand what is desired and a priority for our patients as they approach the end of their life is a publication called "5 Wishes". In this booklet, a patient can explain what they wish for.

The 5 Wishes we want to know are:

1) The person I want to make care decisions for me when I can't

2) The kind of medical treatment I want or don't want

3) How comfortable I want to be

4) How I want people to treat me

5) What I want my loved ones to know

As our patients take time to answer these questions  and then share them with their care team, we can honor, respect, and meet these wishes with compassion. We want to listen (something we need to do much better). We want to understand our patients. We want to be there and do everything we can to honor their wishes.

Tough topic tonight....but so important.

God bless all our patients and their families taking this journey right now.

Best Regards always,

Mitch

Comments

[Melissa Knott, Wellness Place Program Coordinator]

Dr. Garrison,
I'm enjoying your blog very much! What a great idea. I just wanted to let your readers know that Wellness Place has copies of 5 Wishes available at our office; 240 N. Chelan Ave, Wenatchee. This is an excellent tool that is simple to use. Thanks!