Hospice Does End of Life Planning.

It's a simple but obvious point that surely needs repeating: Hospice can help with end of life planning. If doctor's don't get reimbursed for those long conversations and families don't know where to start, perhaps we should think of hospice as the best resources for preparing for end of life care, as Sean Morrison, president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Care, reminds us in a letter to the NYT editor, below. Don't know how to get that defibrillator turned off? Don't know what planning resources are available? Your local hospice does.

Re “Lifesaving Devices Can Cause Havoc at Life’s End” (Business Day, May 14):

As a doctor who specializes in hospice and palliative medicine, I see more patients and families facing critical decisions about advanced technologies near the end of life each day. People should consider hospice not only to assist with pain and symptoms, but also to facilitate decision-making around goals of care and advanced technology devices like defibrillators.

Hospice teams have the knowledge, skills and resources to guide patients and families through these difficult decisions.

R. Sean Morrison
President, American Academy
of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
New York, May 15, 2010