How do you want to be treated when you become frail? Have you considered what you wishes will be when this time comes?
Duncan Sinclair, a former physiology professor at Queens University and member of Canada’s Frailty Health Network explores the decisions that we must face before it is too late to decide on our healthcare plan.
First, I want to be considered a person, not a patient, regardless of how much I then depend on a panoply of physicians, nurses, personal support workers, therapists and pharmacists. I want the values that are central to my being to be respected, then as now. I want to remain Duncan Sinclair, not the incontinent, demented old guy in bed in Room 6. And, I want to retain my dignity. The hospital gown may be garb convenient for my caregivers, but its propensity to expose my nether regions to hallway passersby is as far as it gets from dignified.
Second, I want to stay in my home and community. I want to die in my own bed, having taken loving leave of my family, friends and neighbours. Dying at home is a hassle for care providers, but much cheaper than institutional care, and yields immeasurably greater benefit to the dying person and the family.
To view the full article please visit the Globe and Mail.
For further information on advance care planning, please visit My Speak Up Plan where you can create your health care plan in an interactive workbook.
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