When Is It Time to Give Up the Car?

Some of the normal changes of aging can make driving more challenging. Hearing loss, vision problems, decreased reaction time, memory loss and lessened manual dexterity are all limitations that tend to increase as a person ages. Seniors and their loved ones should discuss driving safety, and periodically assess driving abilities to honestly judge whether the senior adult is safe behind the wheel. Here are some points to consider. Right at Home

Is Poor Money Management an Early Sign of Alzheimer's Disease?

A poll in the October 2009 issue of Caring Right at Home showed that 30% of respondents cited money management as the greatest source of conflict between family caregivers and their senior loved ones. Now, a new study suggests that decreasing ability to handle financial matters may be a red flag for memory problems. Right at Home

"Grandma Friended Me!" Seniors and Social Networking

If the phrase "online social networking" brings to mind a 20-something thumbing away on a Blackberry, think again. Today, seniors are the fastest growing group to use social networking as a tool for expanding social connections and staying in touch with family and friends. Right at Home

Columnist Rejects Suicide after Discovering She Has Huntington’s Disease Gene

A columnist for the Guardian says she has decided to reject suicide after learning that she will suffer from an incurable neurological disease, calling self-euthanasia "a fantasy." "The case for carrying on can't be argued," writes Charlotte Raven in her most recent column. "Suicide is rhetoric. Life is life." Raven wrote the column following her discovery that she has the genes for Huntington's disease, which causes a progressive breakdown of brain function, usually beginning in middle age. Raven is 40 years old. LifeSiteNews

First U.S. stem cells transplanted into spinal cord

For the first time in the United States, stem cells have been directly injected into the spinal cord of a patient. Doctors injected stem cells from 8-week-old fetal tissue into the spine of a man in his early 60s who has advanced ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. . . . These particular stem cells -- which came from the spinal cord of an 8-week-old fetus -- are neural stem cells, which have the ability to turn into different types of nerve cells. These are not the same stem cells as the controversial human embryonic stem cells, which destroy the embryo when the stem cells are removed. CNN

Editor: Are they hoping to slip one past us, as though the 8-week-old fetus isn't being destroyed. Oh right, it's aborted first. Not "controversial?" I don't think so. See What About Fetal Tissue Harvesting?

Right-to-die plans launched in Scotland

Scotland would become the first part of the UK to give terminally-ill people the right to end their own lives, under controversial new proposals. The End Life Assistance Bill could also apply to those who have suffered grievous injures, such as someone paralysed in a car or sporting accident. Suicide is not illegal under Scottish law, but a person who aids someone who takes their own life may be charged with murder or culpable homicide. Telegraph

Mother gets life for son's 'mercy killing'

A mother has been given a life sentence for killing her 22-year-old brain-damaged son in a case which is sure to spark a debate over euthanasia. Francis Inglis, 57, told the jury she acted “with love” when she injected her son with a lethal dose of heroin to end his life. Christian Institute

Mother in court over death of daughter with Chronic Fatigue

A "caring and loving" mother helped end her daughter's life following a 17-year battle with illness by handing her a lethal dose of morphine and a cocktail of drugs. Bridget Kathleen Gilderdale passed two syringes filled with large doses of morphine to 31-year-old Lynn Gilderdale, who injected the pain-relieving medicine herself in a suicide attempt at the family home, the court was told.

When it emerged that the dosage had not been enough, the mother searched the house for tablets which she crushed with a pestle and mortar and administered to her daughter through a nasogastric tube. In the hours that followed, Gilderdale, gave her three syringes of air through an intravenous catheter with the intention of causing air embolisms. Miss Gilderdale, who had ME (myalgic encephalopathy) – an illness that causes severe and debilitating fatigue – from aged 14 and required round-the-clock care, died later that morning. Guardian

DJ played ‘Jump’ as woman threatened suicide leap

TV and radio personality Steve Penk has defended his decision to play the Van Halen classic “Jump” while police were attempting to talk a suicidal woman down from a motorway bridge. Mr Penk said he played it following a request from a frustrated driver stuck in traffic. Despite police spending nearly nine hours trying to talk her down, the woman jumped, shattering her heels. Mr Penk said he did not regret playing the song. He said: “The entire area had been thrown into total chaos by the inexplicable actions of a single, troubled woman." Rochdale News

End of Life Care Falls Short for Kidney Disease Patients

Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) often do not receive adequate end-of-life care and are unhappy with the medical decisions made as their conditions worsen, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology. The findings indicate that end-of-life care should be improved to meet the needs of CKD patients. Newswise

Sir Michael Parkinson calls for dignity in elderly care

Sir Michael Parkinson, the government's National Dignity Ambassador, is to publish the findings into care for the elderly. He spent the past year visiting care homes and hospitals around the country, observing good and bad practice. BBC

Is death better than disability?

Whom better to ask than the disabled? They give some surprising answers.
When assisted suicide is legalised most of the people who will die are disabled. And American disability advocates take a very dim view of it. This is the theme of a hard-hitting series of articles in the latest issue of the Disability and Health Journal. See:

• Killing us softly: the dangers of legalizing assisted suicide
• Assisted suicide laws create discriminatory double standard for who gets suicide prevention and who gets suicide assistance

Hot and Cold Therapy for Arthritis Joint Pain

How do you know when to use hot or cold therapy for joint and muscle pain, and what can help make these treatments work most effectively? Everyday Health

New Hampshire House Strikes Down Assisted Suicide Bill

The New Hampshire House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a bill that would have legalized assisted suicide. Lawmakers voted 242-113 to kill the measure. HB 304, introduced by Representative Charles Weed, would have allowed a "mentally competent person who is 18 years of age or older" who was deemed terminally ill to request a fatal drug through a written request. "It's not the function of government to encourage suicide in the young or the old," said Committee Republican Rep. Nancy Elliott in November. "It's a prescription for elder abuse." LifeSiteNews

An apple a day . . .

That old saw “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” probably holds a lot more truth than many of us realize, and for good reason. One apple, eaten whole with the skin, has about 3.6 grams of fiber, which is about 17 percent of the recommended daily dietary fiber intake. Apples are good for all of us, but especially helpful for people who suffer with the following ailments: acid stomach, arthritis, colon inflammation, diarrhea, enteritis, goiter, gout, herpes, intestinal infections and prostate problems. Everyday Health

Understanding Your Pain Prescription: What Does It Say?

Understanding your prescription entails more than just filling it at the pharmacy. Remember — no drug is without risk. The following guidelines are designed to help you at your doctor’s office, the pharmacy, and at home. Everyday Health

New ethical guidance for patient-physician-caregiver relationship

More than 30 million family caregivers play major role in maximizing the health and quality of life of individuals with acute and chronic illnesses. The paper defines caregivers as relatives, partners, friends, and neighbors of patients who assist with activities of daily living and complex health care needs. It outlines four primary principles for physicians, who may face ethical challenges collaborating with patients and caregivers while preserving the primacy of the patient-physician relationship. Eureka Alert

Final Exit Network Activist Pleads Guilty in Assisted Suicide Case

A member of the Final Exit Network assisted suicide ring that resulted in the deaths of multiple people from illegal assisted suicides has pleaded guilty in one case. Wye Hale-Rowe was one of the people allegedly involved in an assisted suicide case in Arizona. LifeNews

Swiss politicians ponder ban on assisted suicide

Recent proposals to restrict or even ban the practice of euthanasia have emerged in Switzerland, where doctors have been permitted to offer the option not only to Swiss residents but also foreigners. The number of people coming to Switzerland to seek help in ending their life has been steadily rising. Plans to revise the law on assisted suicide stem from the government’s fears that Switzerland may become a “suicide Mecca.” RT

When is a second opinion needed, and how should surgeons respond?

Patients for whom surgery is recommended often have many questions, concerns and fears. The process is fraught with ethical issues that frequently go unrecognized. Am Med News

Facing End-of-Life Talks, Doctors Choose to Wait

It’s a conversation that most people dread, doctors and patients alike. The cancer is terminal, time is short, and tough decisions loom — about accepting treatment or rejecting it, and choosing where and how to die. When is the right time — if there is one — to bring up these painful issues with someone who is terminally ill? NY Times

Patients being tube-fed 'to save time'

Patients are having their health put at risk by staff who feed them through tubes unnecessarily because they are too busy to help them eat normally, a UK report has warned. Putting a tube into the stomach to give nutrition artificially should be a last resort but busy hospital wards and care homes are using them inappropriately. Experts said that there could be a "hidden agenda" for fitting feeding tubes due to staffing issues and costs. Care homes are refusing to take some patients without a tube in a widespread practice which was condemned. Telegraph

Estate Tax and Oregon Assisted Suicide

Estate taxes have long been referred to as the “death tax”, but 2010 may shine a whole new meaning on that term. Presently the estate tax is 45%. The estate tax will drop to 0% for just one year, 2010, and then return to the pre-Bush administration rate of 55% in 2011.

Opponents to the physician-assisted suicide laws have long felt there is a moral hazard to granting a person the right to chose when to die. Will the person make that choice merely because of their personal suffering, or are they going to feel obligated to do so to relieve their children of the need to care for them or because they are a financial burden. Add to the mix the possibility that by dying in 2010 they could become a financial “windfall” for their heirs and the risk of a “moral” hazard to the law rises. Oregon Business Report

An 86-Year-Old Woman Contemplates the End of Her Life

The patient described and interviewed here faces a crossroads in her medical care. Consider her medical history and perspective, expressed in her own words, and review the questions posed. How would you approach this crossroads? JAMA

Dutch Euthanasia Deaths Up Significantly

The number of euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands rose significantly in 2009 compared with 2008. There were reportedly 200 more deaths under the law, but pro-life advocates say those numbers are likely lowball estimates given the underreporting in the Dutch system. The Dutch News indicates approximately 2,500 people died via euthanasia in 2009, but the actual number is unknown because the government estimates about 20 percent of cases are not reported. LifeNews

Videos may aid end-of-life care decisions

Research shows that only a minority of cancer patients complete documents on advance care planning -- and that even when doctors and patients have discussions on end-of-life care, poor communication and patients' lack of medical knowledge remain significant obstacles. Videos that depict different options for end-of-life care may help terminally ill cancer patients decide on what they want, a new study suggests. Reuters

Holiday Blog Contest Winner: The Good That Has Come From MS

It seems there are many of us who, facing the stark realities and unknowns of multiple sclerosis, choose, for reasons of solace or of survival, to see some kind of good which has come as a result. Everyday Health

Ten Healthy Aging Resolutions for 2010

During 2009, research institutions from around the world released new studies shedding light on factors that encourage optimum aging. Take advantage of this information as you make your list, and share these ideas with senior loved ones. Right at Home

Montana Supreme Court Makes State Third to Allow Unlimited Assisted Suicide

The Montana Supreme Court has officially paved the way for the state to become the third to allow the practice of assisted suicide. The high court considered a case from a now-deceased terminally ill patient who wanted the right to kill himself with assistance from a physician. LifeNews

Related: Decision could have been worse

Hard Choice for a Comfortable Death: Sedation

In almost every room people were sleeping, but not like babies. This was not the carefree sleep that would restore them to rise and shine for another day. It was the sleep before — and sometimes until — death. NY Times