Commentary: Model for end-of-life care

When the health of an aging loved one deteriorates, it’s often difficult for families to decide what medical services are right for those situations.

It gets especially troublesome when families don’t have conversations beforehand with their loved ones about their wishes for health care at the end of life.

Bernard Hammes and Nancy Desmond address this problem in a new GHN Commentary (Here’s the link).

“Research shows that families endure unbearable stress if an aging parent suffers from cancer or Alzheimer’s, for example, and the children disagree about treatment,’’ Hammes and Desmond write. “Now, with tens of millions of Americans reaching age 65, we need to start having conversations with our loved ones and health care providers about the kind of care that is the right choice for them.’’

Georgia Health News welcomes Commentary submissions. If you would like to propose a Commentary piece for Georgia Health News, please e-mail Andy Miller, editor of GHN, at amiller@georgiahealthnews.com