People have different ways of coping when faced with incurable cancer. One of the most important things you can do to help yourself or a loved one cope better is to be informed about your options. Unfortunately, many doctors are uncomfortable talking to their patients about end-of-life care.
It is a painful and difficult thing to face our own mortality. It's not surprising that doctors often don't deal with this topic very well either.
Sometimes, if a person is struggling to accept the incurable nature of their disease, they will ask for more treatment and more aggressive treatment. If their doctor also is struggling to explain end-of-life options in a way that makes sense, a person can end up getting treatments that worsen quality of life significantly. This isn't good for anyone.
More Information Helps
A new study suggests a video describing end-of-life options can help people feel more secure in their decisions about their own end-of-life care. Researchers randomly selected 50 people with incurable cancer to receive one of the following:
- A discussion with the doctor about end-of-life care
- A discussion with the doctor plus a video explaining options for end-of-life care
After having the discussion on end-of-life-care, 25.9% of participants preferred life-prolonging care, 51.9% basic care, and 22.2% comfort care.
After having the discussion plus watching the video on end-of-life care, no participants preferred life-prolonging care, 4.4% preferred basic care, 91.3% preferred comfort care, and 4.4% were uncertain.
Perhaps even more important than the actual selections of type of end-of-life care, is how people felt about it. Those who watched the video were more certain of their end-of-life decision making. Most participants (83%) reported feeling comfortable watching the video.
Getting What You Need
There is nothing more difficult than deciding how you want to die. I certainly can't think of a single thing that is harder to do. To cope with this, you'll need all the support, help, and information you can get.
You may not be able to view a video about end-of-life care. Your cancer center may not have one available. But nearly all cancer treatment facilities have a counselor, a chaplain, or another type of health professional who specializes in taking care of your emotional and mental health. This, in turn, will help you make the best decisions you can about your end-of-life medical care.
Don't Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Next, you'll need to work with your medical care team to fully understand all of the options for your end-of-life care. Do you want to keep receiving treatment? Is the possible extra time you'll get with treatment worth the discomfort of that treatment? Are you willing to receive nutrition through a feeding tube or through a vein in your arm if your cancer affects your ability to eat? What can you expect as time goes on?
The answers to these and other concerns you have are vital to helping you cope more effectively. If you're helping a loved one face end-of-life treatment decisions, be supportive, but avoid judging their decisions. What is right for one person may not be right for another. We all like to think that we would handle our own death gracefully, but until you are in those shoes, you cannot know how it feels to deal with this level of stress.
