This graphic medicine opinion piece by a professor of medicine and palliative care complicates the belief that a death at home is less expensive or more satisfying than death in a hospital. The author recounts conversations he has had with home caregivers about the burdens of complicated care regimes; the physical, psychological, and economic costs, and the systemic incentives to shift care to home caregivers who may be ill-equipped. This short piece is useful for discussions about end of life care, both the personal burden for caregivers as well as the systemic and economic incentives. It includes brief quotations from caregivers the author has worked with as well as statistics about end of life care in the US.
Access
- Link: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-02-16/doctor-patients-send-home-to-die
Details
Language: English
Type of Story: Newspaper or Magazine
Medium: image and written
Contributed by: Health Story Hub Team ( health-storyhub@uiowa.edu )
Citation: [need citation?]