Judy MacDonald Johnston: Prepare for a good end of life

“Thinking about death is frightening, but planning ahead is practical and leaves more room for peace of mind in our final days. In a solemn, thoughtful talk, Judy MacDonald Johnston shares 5 practices for planning for a good end of life.”

New York needs to decriminalize physician aid in dying

By Robert A. Milch, M.D., May 22, 2016, The Buffalo Times I have been privileged to practice medicine in Buffalo for nearly four decades, 35 of those years in hospice and palliative care. I have had the “bad news” discussions with innumerable patients and families,...

When a doctor and patient disagree about care at the end of life

By Ravi Parikh, April 18, 2016, The Washington Post Sometimes, doctors and patients disagree about end-of-life care. I know, because it happened with me. Not long ago, a frail-looking elderly patient appeared at my cardiac health clinic with a file full of...

Quotation of the Day

New York Times, April 14, 2016 “I’ve seen people die well and I’ve seen people die in misery. I want Canadians to have access to the best care possible.” Dr. Jane Philpott, the national health minister, on legislation to legalize physician-assisted suicide for...

Today – 40th Anniversary of Karen Ann Quinlan Case

By Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD March 31, 2016, The Medical Futility Blog Forty years ago, today, on March 31, 1976, the New Jersey Supreme Court issued its decision in In re Quinlan. The court held that Quinlan’s interest in having her life-support disconnected...

Should the terminally ill control how they die?

The following is a script from “Aid in Dying” which aired on [60 Minutes], March 13, 2016. Dr. Jon LaPook is the correspondent. Denise Cetta and Kevin Finnegan, producers. Brittany Maynard was dying of brain cancer when she decided to drink a lethal...

Pharmaceutical Companies Hiked Price on Aid in Dying Drug

By Katie Orr March 22, 2016, KQED News When California’s aid-in-dying law takes effect this June, terminally ill patients who decide to end their lives could be faced with a hefty bill for the lethal medication. It retails for more than $3,000. Valeant...

90-Year-Old With Cancer Says No To Chemo And Yes To Travel And Camper

By Elyse Wanshel February 29, 2016, Huffington Post At 90, one woman doesn’t care to see the inside of any more hospitals. She would much rather see the world. When a cancerous mass was detected on Norma’s uterus the day after her husband of 67 years, Leo, was...

Unequal Lives, Unequal Deaths

By Sunita Puri January 20, 2016, New York Times In my first year of practice in palliative medicine, I made house calls to patients in South Los Angeles. My patients all lived inneighborhoods that ranked among the city’s lowest in both income and life expectancy. In...