We asked people for their views on whether agencies are sensitive to the preparations needed to ensure people experience a 'good death'.
To read a recent Community Care article on the subject click here
These are the responses we received:
"I was moved by this article and, from my experience, feel that social care agencies understand these issues.
More difficult I think for health care professionals - from the experience of my mother who, from being completely independent, had a stroke at 91, who said she would like to die, but whose life has been prolonged artificially ...Now almost 3 years later, she is slowly physically 'disappearing', permanently in bed, turned every few hours, still well-cared for physically in a nursing home, but with little ability to understand where she is and what has happened to her .. and no attempts earlier in her illness to meet her therapeutic needs. Questions for health care, but not answers; but maybe she should have been asked what she wanted whilst she still understood the question."
Helen Lewis
"On a good death. I absolutely agree that one should be in charge of one's death. However when a client is unconscious or mentally unable to communicate this is when it becomes "difficult" to ensure death is a good experience. At this time family and professionals have to agree a plan, not always an easy thing to do. Dignity and privacy are the utmost considerations and, of course, being pain free....that is all one could hope for oneself in that situation."
Michelle Coleborn BA (Hons); R.G.N. R.M.N.
Qualified Care Manager
Elderly Mental Health team
Social Services
Gosport War Memorial Hospital
"I write as the parent of a child who died from complications related to a chromosomal disorder. Although not a social worker, I have worked in a social care environment for many years.
It was clear from shortly after her birth that our daughter's life would be limited. From early in her life we sought support from social work and the health service. My experience of social work staff (hospital-based social worker and locally based home care manager) was that they were unable to deal with my very real need to enable my daughter to have 'a good death'. The individuals concerned appeared to need to hang on to a hope that our daughter would somehow be ok when we knew that this was unrealistic. There were times when I felt they viewed me as giving up on our child or as being unnatural in some way. I sensed that staff were unable to cope with their own sense of helplessness, and as a result I often felt responsible for protecting them from the pain of our situation. In contrast most of the health staff involved in providing support to us seemed much more open to work with our acceptance of our daughter's limited life-span. It was health, rather than social work, staff who encouraged us to use the invaluable support and respite offered by a children's hospice (which was where our daughter later died).
Anonymous
