The following essays are from Final Accomplishment: Living Longer, Dying Better. The first chapter is posted on this web site (tab on left– Living Longer). Chapters 2 and 3 are bundled into Expectation Meets Reality, and provide basic information on how we are likely to die. After that, the next chapters tell patient stories of paths to the end of life, organized by causes of death so it’s easy to choose the information you’re seeking without having to read everything. Each story illustrates a range of opportunities and challenges we may encounter with that condition, and some chapters have more than one story to accommodate a wider range of pertinent issues.
These vignettes portray patients I have had the privilege to care for. Except in the stories that involve my own family, identifying information has been changed to protect confidentiality.
The shopping cart will appear at the top of this page after you select an item–and you can delete any item at any time if you change your mind. Articles are delivered to the email address you provide on your order. Each selection is approximately 5-10 pages, and ranges from 50 cents to a dollar. Explanations of medical conditions are woven into the vignettes, and there are easy stopping points so the stories can be comprehensive without being overwhelming.
After payment (you do not need to have, or open, a PayPal account), a link to the chapter(s) will automatically be sent to the email you provide. If you experience any difficulty with the downloads or links, please let me know, and I will remedy it. My email is DrMJ@DrMJIsIn.com. Please give me 2-3 days to reply.
At the very bottom of this page are links to blank advance directives for Ohio, and a website for dementia-specific ideas and forms for end-of-life care.
Eisenhower Medical Center family medicine residents please contact me for free downloads.
#1 CAUSE OF DEATH: HEART DISEASE
#2 CAUSE OF DEATH: CANCER
#3 CAUSE OF DEATH: COPD
# 4 CAUSE OF DEATH: STROKE
#5 CAUSE OF DEATH: ACCIDENTS
#6 CAUSE OF DEATH: DEMENTIA
#7 CAUSE OF DEATH: DIABETES
#8 CAUSE OF DEATH: PNEUMONIA
Still to come are chapters on: kidney failure, trauma and more. Following the stories, I will post chapters on advocating for loved ones, and a tool chest for navigating doctors, hospitals, paperwork, hospice and home health care. Please feel free to contact me through this website if you would like to see additional themes addressed.
This is a link for blank advance directive forms, and instructions for filling them out. You do not need an attorney, or a physician, but it might be useful to discuss your thoughts with your doctor. http://ohiohospitals.org/OHA/media/Images/Membership%20Services/Energy/Choices-Advance-Directives-Packet.pdf
Below is a link for a very specific form written by retired attorney, Jerome Medalie, for his personal use in the event his mind deteriorates prior to his body. He has generously made his website and documents accessible to anyone looking for ideas about how to remain in control of end-of-life decisions despite the loss of intellectual competence. His living will is a good starting point for trying to prepare for living and dying with dementia. And since dementia is the third leading cause of death, that might be any of us.
https://sites.google.com/site/jeromemedalie/jm-files