#end-of-life-care

#end-of-life-care

A recent study commissioned by Cloud 9 Vets found that nine out of 10 pet owners in the UK want their pets to spend their last moments at home. The survey included 400 pet owners who clearly preferred their pets to be in familiar surroundings instead of at a veterinary clinic. Yet, many do not know that at-home euthanasia is an option.

I explained that his father wasn't able to clear secretions from his throat or airway, which produced a rattling sound. I understood his concern and recognized the fear in his eyes. When I was caring for my dad, I assumed he was choking. At the time, I didn't know that the unsettling noise was a natural part of the dying process.

For more than a decade, researchers have wondered whether artificial intelligence could help predict what incapacitated patients might want when doctors must make life-or-death decisions on their behalf. It remains one of the most high-stakes questions in health care AI today. But as AI improves, some experts increasingly see it as inevitable that digital "clones" of patients could one day aid family members, doctors, and ethics boards in making end-of-life decisions that are aligned with a patient's values and goals.

As a wealth advisor, I've noticed that my clients often have two reactions to meetings with me. They come out relieved, and even say "That felt like therapy." Or, they emerge worried that they shared too much. Money is really hard to talk about. So is death. It's no wonder that planning for inheritance is fraught for many families. That's why I decided to become a certified financial therapist in addition to a wealth advisor.

Hospices are on the brink and two in five are making cuts this year despite the importance of end-of-life care if assisted dying becomes legal, the sector has warned before the first House of Lords debate on the legislation. Hospice UK, which represents the sector, said many were financially struggling and still in the dark about how funding for end-of-life care will be improved when assisted dying legislation is passed.

It's easier to ask your parents what they want for their birthday than it is to ask them what they'd want if they were too sick to make decisions.

Moser never saw or spoke to her son again. The last day I went to see him in the hospital, I was hoping he would take his last breath, said Moser, a former hospice nurse.

One of his daughters, a veterinarian, was outraged. An animal would never be subjected to that kind of suffering.