Peaceful Transitions: Plan Now, Die Later--Ironclad Strategy
Millions who will be suffering from Alzheimer's and related dementias may receive treatment inconsistent with their preferences and values, treatment that may inflict longer and greater suffering. If you do not want this to happen to you, read this book! It offers a unique Advance Care Planning tool that offers substantial advantages over all alternatives.--Thaddeus Mason Pope, JD, PhD, Widener University School of LawDr. Terman has had the courage to formalize a protocol for patients with Advanced Dementia whose quality of life is extremely low. [One form] explicitly listsPalliative Sedationas a method of Comfort Care for informed consent [that can be used] if all other modalities of treatment have not been successful to reduce pain and suffering.--William C. Fowkes, MD, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University School of MedicineDr. Terman's book is full of illustrative and very moving vignettes, wisdom, compassion, and a whole lot of nuts-and-bolts recommendations that will seem controversial to some, but compelling to others... He offers a comprehensive series of sequential, complementary actions (forms, medallions, cards, suggestions for recording interviews, etc.), which combine to provide a guarantee that is closer to 100% than any other, [for] Advance Care Planning.--Karl E. Steinberg, MD, Past President, California Association of Long Term Care MedicineSortingMy Way Cardsis an interactive exercise that could be very valuable in helping people consider what is important to them... I encourage you to read, consider, and discuss this most thorough, most-important, and perhaps life-altering book. Kudos to Dr. Terman for his monumental efforts in bringing us this work.--Guy Micco, MD, Clinical Professor U C Berkeley UC San Francisco Joint Medical ProgramTo ensure that patient preferences are honored and that physician orders are durable, Dr. Terman has thought of innumerable potential barriers for which he has devised strategic solutions... Ingeniously, he couples a specially designed Advance Directive with a set ofNatural Dying Physician's Orders (NDPO).... Some advantages of theNDPOform include a recommendation for the implementing physician to consider important safeguards [since] Dr. Terman advocates strongly against ending life prematurely.Doctor Terman writes with compassion, passion, clarity, and expertise. His patient stories are compelling and illustrative. Ironically, a book about how to end life is really one that empowers readers to prolong meaningful and enjoyable life.--Ronald B. Miller, MD, FACP, Founding Director of the Program in Medical Ethics, U C IrvineNatural Dying Living Will Cards(for religious observers) enable patients or their health care proxies to discern if even hand/spoon feeding becomes for them in some circumstances an extraordinary or disproportionate means of preserving life. Without conflicting with Catholic teaching, they will permit you or your loved one to identify the sorts of circumstances in which hand feeding or other treatments could and legitimately should be refused, withheld or withdrawn.Reverend Kevin McGovern, Director, Caroline Chisholm Centre for Health Ethics--Excerpts from the Forewords