Conditional Consciousness: Patients in Vegetative States Can Learn, Predicting Recovery

Brain-damaged patients who appear to have lost signs of conscious awareness might still be able to create new memories, showing signs of new neural networks and potential for partial recovery. Scientific American

Options for Extra Care: Nursing Homes and Hospice Facilities

The services offered by nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or hospice are all very different. Find out more about each one and the costs associated with them. CarePages

Choosing a Nursing Home

If you're evaluating nursing homes for a loved one, there are many things to consider and a lot of questions to ask. Everyday Health

Tips to Avoid Compassion Fatigue

Blogger Julie Rosen provides tips on how to care for yourself during stressful times. Now she wants to know what you do to keep yourself sane, engaged, and compassionate in your work and life. Everyday Health

Lung Cancer: 7 Steps for Managing Fear

Are you constantly distracted, angry, or irritable? Do you feel tension in your muscles? These may be signs of fear — a common emotion for those diagnosed with lung cancer or any other cancer. Everyday Health

Palliative carers should pay more attention to hydration

In my experience on geriatric wards terminal delirium was vanishingly rare, perhaps because my patients were not left in a dehydrated state. In the early 1990s Bruera and colleagues in Canada found that the incidence of terminal delirium in cancer patients can be reduced by two thirds if dehydration is prevented and care taken with opioid medication. Times Online

UK to Clarify Assisted-Suicide Prosecutions

The assisted-suicide debate will come to a head in Britain this week, as the country's chief prosecutor clarifies the circumstances under which the state will prosecute families for helping terminally ill loved ones to die. Assisting a suicide will remain illegal, as it has been since 1961. But supporters of assisted suicide say they hope the new guidelines will make it easier for families to avoid prosecution when they help a parent, spouse or sibling to die and are clearly acting out of compassion and not malice or in search of financial gain. WSJ

MS Events: Good for What Ails You

Every time I attend an MS event, be it a walk, a luncheon, gala dinner, an educational program, or what have you, I feel better! Maybe it’s because I see old friends. Maybe it’s because I see scads of folks living with multiple sclerosis not just having multiple sclerosis, but living with our disease. Everyday Health

Why Do Some MS Patients Fare Better?

Researchers have identified two genes that may explain why MS affects some more than others. Everyday Health

Fibromyalgia: 25 Weeks to Better Health

Blogger Leslie Patino recalls what were probably her first symptoms of fibromyalgia and how her life has changed since then. Everyday Health

Helping a Loved One Cope With Chronic Pain

If someone close to you has fibromyalgia, a condition that causes pain and tenderness throughout the body, there are things you can do to help. Everyday Health

Common Sense Tips to Help Caregivers Cope

Being a family caregiver can put enormous strain on your time and energy. Blogger Vidya Sury, who looks after her ill mother, offers her suggestions to beat caregiver guilt and manage your time better. Everyday Health

Taking care of parents without going broke

About 30 percent of adult children in the United States contribute financially to their parents’ care, according to the Pew Research Center. This article describes how to begin to take advantage of the hundreds of government and nonprofit programs and services geared to the elderly throughout the country. NY Times

End-of-life care: Who decides when to pull the plug?

The notion that a patient or family member can require any type of care, regardless of its propriety, has long been disavowed by the American Medical Association. The AMA's Code of Medical Ethics has recognized this principle since at least 1994, when it published an opinion that states: "Physicians are not ethically obligated to deliver care that, in their best professional judgment, will not have a reasonable chance of benefitting their patients. Patients should not be given treatments simply because they demand them." In the same opinion, however, the AMA also found that "Denial of treatment should be justified by reliance on openly stated ethical principles and acceptable standards of care . . . not on the concept of 'futility,' which cannot be meaningfully defined." Modern Medicine

Change needed in attitude to end-of-life care

An international expert on death and dying has warned that, unless there is a major change of political attitude toward end-of-life care policy in the developed world “we will see a return to the widespread social neglect of the dying we first witnessed in our hospitals after [the second] World War.” Irish Times

Euthanasia for Ireland?

The Law Reform Commission of Ireland is recommending legislation which would allow euthanasia by denial of food, fluids and reasonable medical treatment. The Commission's proposals mirror almost exactly the British government's Mental Capacity Act 2005. SPUC

Diagnosing Dementia Sooner

World Alzheimer's Day is September 21 — and this year's theme is the importance of getting diagnosed as early as possible. Everyday Health

Cases of euthanasia jump in Belgium after new law

Cases of euthanasia in Belgium's Flanders region soared to nearly 2 percent of all deaths in 2007 after the country legalized the practice a few years earlier. A survey, conducted by an end-of-life research group at the Brussels-based Free University, said the rise was mainly due to Belgium's 2002 euthanasia law, which gave terminally ill patients more choices. News Tribune, Secondhand Smoke

Are PAS stats in Washington state reliable?

Compassion and Choices of Washington, the advocacy group that campaigned for Washington's assisted suicide law, says that of 28 Washington residents who requested drugs to kill themselves, 11 patients have used the medication to end their lives. However, the first report from the Washington state health department reported that since assisted suicide became legal in March 2009, there have been 28 requests for lethal drugs in Washington state with 16 people having died. Alex Schadenberg, the Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, said he is very concerned that the euthanasia lobby group has more information about the assisted suicides in the state than does the government. "This indicates that Compassion & Choices of Washington is the gate-keeper of the Death With Dignity Act in Washington state in the same way as Compassion & Choices of Oregon is the gate-keeper of the act in their state." LifeSiteNews

‘Dr. Death’ Nitschke Sells Euthanasia to China

For more than a decade, Philip Nitschke says he taught thousands in the Western world how to end their lives “without making a mess of it.” Now, he wants to bring that knowledge to China, where even the talk of death is taboo. Bloomberg

The cost of dying: How much is worth it?

A quarter of Medicare's costs, about $100 billion a year, is spent in the final year of patients' lives. Nearly half of that is spent in their final month. Who should pay, and how much life-prolonging care is worth it? Indianapolis Star

Taming technology

Medical technology saves lives and relieves suffering, and is enormously popular with the public, profitable for doctors, and a source of great wealth for industry. Yet its costs are rising at a dangerously unsustainable rate. In Taming the Beloved Beast, esteemed medical ethicist Daniel Callahan confronts this dilemma head-on. He argues that we can't escape it by organizational changes alone. Nothing less than a fundamental transformation of our thinking about health care is needed to achieve lasting and economically sustainable reform. The technology bubble, he contends, is beginning to burst. Hastings Center

Last-Resort Options for Palliative Sedation

Despite receiving state-of-the-art palliative care, some patients still experience severe suffering toward the end of life. Palliative sedation is a potential way to respond to such suffering, but access is uneven and unpredictable, in part because of confusion about different kinds of sedation. Annals of Internal Medicine

Report warns doctors snub families of the terminally ill amid growing use of 'death pathway'

A national audit of 4,000 patients put on the Liverpool Care Pathway last year has found that more than a quarter of families are not told when life support is withdrawn from terminally-ill loved ones. Under the Pathway, doctors can withdraw food and fluids from terminally-ill patients and sedate them continuously until death. Peter Millard, emeritus professor of geriatrics at the University of London, said: 'The risk as this is rolled out across the country is that elderly people with chronic conditions like Parkinson's or respiratory disorders may be dismissed as dying when they could still live for some time ... Only when death is unavoidable should you start withdrawing treatment.' Daily Mail

Liar, Liar

If we believe the president when he promises there will be no "death panels," does he lose honesty points when instead the government sends doctors who "counsel" the elderly about their "end of life options"? If bureaucrats end up rationing care so that only the "fit" or "near fit" still young enough to keep producing tax revenue receive treatment, does this weaken the president's credibility? Cal Thomas

Coping With Your Spouse's MS Diagnosis

Living with MS will be different from your life before, but strategies for adjusting are plentiful. Everyday Health

Tips to Avoid a Serious Fall

When you live with a chronic illness, a fall could make things a whole lot worse. These tips can help you make your home a safe environment. Everyday Health

Recognizing Depression in Older Adults

Once depression is distinguished from other diseases, like dementia, treatment can help restore quality of life for mature adults. Everyday Health

28 People Have Requested Assisted Suicide Drugs in Washington Since March

The first report from the state health department in Washington finds 28 people requested assisted suicide drugs since the new law allowing the practice went into effect in March. The new figures show 16 of the patients have since died, though she state won't say if they died from natural causes or using the barbiturates. A pro-euthanasia group says it knows of 11 people who have killed themselves so far. LifeNews

You Really Don't Know Jack

Fox News' Neil Cavuto last week introduced Kevorkian as a "Michigan physician who claims to have assisted in the suicides of at least 130 terminally ill people from 1990 to 1998."
Physician? Not the kind who treats patients. As for the risible notion that his victims were terminally ill, well, it collapses in the harsh light of a New England Journal of Medicine analysis of the autopsies of 69 Kevorkian cases. . . . President Obama cannot be happy that Kevorkian gave a quasi-endorsement of ObamaCare. "The death panel makes it sound so negative," he grimaced. In the same hour, Kevorkian spoke up for Michael Jackson's doctor, as he dryly observed, "The patient got what he wanted." JWR

Why the assisted-suicide movement is winning

The assisted-suicide movement has come a long way in just a couple of decades. . . . When members of the social and political elite associate themselves with assisted-suicide groups as openly as they would with charities like the United Way, we have reached a new cultural moment. National Review; see also The Creeping Culture of Euthanasia

The Netherlands: A good bad example

With the Administration struggling to assure millions of worried Americans that Obamacare will not unleash such a culture of death, it seems exceedingly odd that at a recent town meeting in Grand Junction, Colorado, the president would tout the Netherlands' health care system as a "good example" for America to emulate. . . . [G]iven the widespread public fear that Obamacare will destroy Hippocratic medical values, it is very odd that the president would pick that particular country as a template for emulation. To the Source

Daughter claims father wrongly placed on controversial NHS end of life scheme

A woman says her father Eric Troake, who entered hospital after suffering a stroke, had fluid and drugs withdrawn and she claims doctors wanted to put him on morphine until he passed away under a scheme for dying patients called the Liverpool Care Pathway. Rosemary Munkenbeck said her father, who previously said he wanted to live until he was 100, has now said he wants to die after being deprived of fluids for five days. Telegraph

Daughter claims father wrongly placed on controversial NHS end of life scheme

A woman says her father Eric Troake, who entered hospital after suffering a stroke, had fluid and drugs withdrawn and she claims doctors wanted to put him on morphine until he passed away under a scheme for dying patients called the Liverpool Care Pathway. Rosemary Munkenbeck said her father, who previously said he wanted to live until he was 100, has now said he wants to die after being deprived of fluids for five days. Telegraph

Bereaved mother campaigns against medical guidelines that allow premature babies to die

A mother whose prematurely-born boy died after being denied treatment has condemned guidelines given to doctors. Jayden was denied treatment because he was born earlier than 22 weeks, the cut-off point for treatment under the guidelines. His mother claimed that doctors told her that Jayden "hasn't got a human right, he is a foetus." She went on to say, "The doctors say the babies won't survive, but how do they know if they aren't giving them a chance?" Telegraph

Keeping the Caregiver Healthy

Everyday Health member GoodLuck57 is caring for her mom, who has Alzheimer's disease. At the same time, she's looking to lose weight and become a healthier person. Everyday Health blog

Even Mild Infections Hasten Decline With Alzheimer's

In this new study, researchers found that Alzheimer's patients who had respiratory, gastrointestinal or other infections -- even minor bumps and bruises -- can have high levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), in their blood. TNF-a is a protein linked to inflammation, and has been associated with memory loss or other types of cognitive decline. Everyday Health

The Unwitting Birthplace of the 'Death Panel' Myth

La Crosse, Wisconsin, often shows up on "best places to live" lists, but residents say it is also a good place to die -- which is how it landed in the center of a controversy that almost derailed health-care reform this summer. Gundersen Lutheran Hospital has long been a pioneer in ensuring that the care provided to patients in their final months complies with their wishes. More recently, it has taken the lead in seeking to have Medicare compensate physicians for advising patients on end-of-life planning. The hospital got its wish this spring when House Democrats inserted that provision into their health-care reform bill -- only to see former Alaska governor Sarah Palin seize on it as she warned about "death panels" that would deny care to the elderly and the disabled. Washington Post

Choosing Thomas

Facing death can be hardest for a family expecting new life. Follow T.K. and Deidrea Lauxs journey after they learn that their unborn son has a genetic disorder called Trisomy 13. They hope the intimate look helps others understand and cope with infant loss. YouTube

The Dutch Way of Death: Socialized medicine helped turn doctors into killers

On a Monday morning that he will never forget, Dr. Niko Wolswinkel's patient, a 77-year old woman dying from cancer, asked him to kill her. As a purely legal matter, he knew he could do it, but he searched his conscience. He couldn't bring himself to kill his patient; doctors are supposed to be healers, not killers. And, as a Christian, he believed it was wrong to take into his hands the power of God. A few days later, his patient died naturally. Wall Street Journal past featured article

Neonatologist Need Training to Guide Family Decision-Making for Critically Ill Infants

This study concludes that graduating neonatology fellows are highly trained in the technical skills necessary to care for critically ill and dying neonates but are inadequately trained in the communication skills that families identify as critically important when facing end-of-life decisions. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine

The Steps of Coping With Grief

Guilt, sadness, anger, denial — these are just some of the emotions present during the grieving process. After a traumatic event, it's important to give your mind and body time to heal. Everyday Health

Related: When extended grief becomes depression

Watch Your Step: The Dangers of Falling

As blogger Sue Falkner-Wood notes, falling can be a serious matter for people with chronic health conditions: "Many of us are not as sure-footed as we used to be and must be more careful than the general population." Everyday Health

Smoking Worsens Multiple Sclerosis

Patients with multiple sclerosis who smoke appear to be at higher risk for the brain lesions linked with the disease and for brain shrinkage, new research suggests. Everyday Health

Honest Answers About Life With Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis blogger Trevis Gleason writes, "For those of you just joining, I posted a blog topic that allowed you (the MS community) to post any questions you might wish to ask me about my multiple sclerosis via the comment section." Everyday Health

'Crisis' over terminally-ill care

Official [UK] guidelines are causing a crisis in care of the terminally ill and growing anger among patients' families, medical experts say. The advice allows food and fluids to be withdrawn from patients, who are then continuously sedated, if they are judged to be close to death. BBC

Kevorkian movie, starring Al Pacino, Out Next Year

Jack Kevorkian is at it again promoting euthanasia. Meanwhile, the movie that will glorify his life and his killing of dozens and dozens of people will debut next year. Kevorkian wrote a book during his time in prison and the manuscript has been turned into an upcoming HBO movie entitled "You Don't Know Jack." Al Pacino plays Kevorkian in a role he says he appreciates. "It's an honor," Kevorkian said. "He looks exactly like me." LifeNews
Editor: How can Pacino look exactly like Kevorkian when Kevorkian looks nothing like Al Pacino?

Father's 'final days of agony'

A daughter has described how her father spent his final days in agony at a Sheffield hospital after being denied adequate pain relief. Thomas Milner was 76 and being treated for end-stage leukaemia and was not given enough top-up morphine to relieve his symptoms. Mrs. Brooks said initial hospital treatment for her father was good but he later suffered unnecessarily from not having enough medication. She said he was given 10 milligrams of morphine over 55 hours, which she said an independent doctor has since told her is a "pitiful" amount for a patient with a terminal illness. Sheffield Telegraph

Sentenced to death on the NHS

Patients with terminal illnesses are being made to die prematurely under an NHS scheme to help end their lives, leading [UK] doctors have warned. Telegraph

Montana's top court to hear right-to-die arguments

Today the Montana State Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on whether the state should allow for legal assisted suicide. The case grew out of a decision late last year by an activist Montana District judge, Dorothy McCarter, who ruled in favor of the suit filed by the pro-euthanasia organization the Hemlock Society, now known as Compassion and Choices. The case will have an impact on the health care debate currently embroiling our nation's capital. CNN, Alliance Defense Fund

Journal blames people "who want to live" for confusion on assisted suicide

An editorial appearing in the prestigious British Medical Journal blames disabled people "who want to live" for the difficulties surrounding the debate in the UK on assisted suicide. Tony Delamothe, deputy editor of the BMJ, bluntly admitted that he is in favour of assisted suicide.
"The debate on assisted dying has been hijacked by disabled people who want to live. It needs to be reclaimed for terminally ill people who want to die." LifeSiteNews

Get to Know: Revolution Health

Find a doctor, health professional, hospital, or senior housing for you or a loved one. Help others by sharing your experience. Revolution Health

Health Tip: Keep Seniors Safe at Home

If a loved one with dementia is living at home with supervision, it's still important to eliminate potential dangers. Everyday Health

Husband gets slap on the wrist for assisted suicide

Citing “complexities and the odd nature of the case,” a Terrebonne Parish judge this morning ordered a Houma, LA, man to spend six months in jail for helping his ailing wife commit suicide. John Ahlf II got a five-year suspended prison term. He must also serve three years of probation, a year in home incarceration and take a mental-health evaluation and decision-making course. Ahlf pleaded guilty in May to the assisted-suicide charge, brought after he placed 130 pills and alcohol within reach of his wife, Mary Ahlf, who suffered from debilitating arthritis in her back, according to testimony. He said she threatened to kill herself many times, whether or not he wished to be present. Houma Today

Top 10 Tips for Managing Day-to-day Life With MS

Take control of your MS symptoms with practical strategies you can use every day. Everyday Health

Amassing a mountain of . . . pillows?

Hospice of Michigan is sponsoring Evan Koons' entry in ArtPrize, the largest art competition in the world - happening in Grand Rapids, MI. Together, they are on a mission to collect 7,000 pillows and win the $250,000 grand prize for his art piece called "I'm Still Alive." Evan has pledged half of any winnings to Hospice of Michigan's Open Access. Find out how you can help: Amassing the Mountain