Suffering and Choice at the End of Life with Judith Kennedy Schwartz, R.N., Ph.D.

Sometimes, despite the best of palliative or hospice care, suffering cannot be relieved in a manner acceptable to the patient. Some of those suffering patients will turn to their caregivers for advice about how to escape an intolerable dying process that is taking too long. Voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) has long been recognized as a “palliative option of last resort” that permits patients to hasten their dying. Some hospices have developed procedures and guidelines regarding VSED to help clinical staff respond in a consistent and coherent fashion.

This lecture is part of The Art of Dying Conference Lectures & Panel Series Collection recorded at the Art of Dying Conference in NYC in April of 2015

ISBN Digital Download: AOD15L6DD