The truth is hard sometimes
What
is TRUTH?
Should a dying person be told the truth?
Who benefits from hearing the truth?
What
happens to the Spirit?
What
happens to the Soul?
What
happens to the Body?
Why is "hearing" the last sense to "GO"?
Why is "hearing" the last sense to "GO"?
Generally speaking, patients want to know the truth about their
condition and what is happening, what’s going to happen, and even what
will happen after they stop breathing. Family members usually desire to know
the same information, but often emotional stress, difficulty of impending loss,
and the uneasiness of the subject results in an unintentional conspiracy of
silence at bedside. The truth a lot of times is not spoken. If we are not
talking at bedside about things that really matter to the person leaving,
comfort for them is harder to obtain even with medications. The person knows
that they are dying; it is not a secret to them. They may not be able to talk;
however, their cognitive abilities are intact on the deathbed regardless of
their diagnosis. Some families do not
want their loved one to know that they are on hospice services. Hospice
providers are often asked to take name tags off when visiting and instructed by
a well-meaning family member not to mention the name hospice or speak about
death. How can the hospice providers (especially chaplains) help the person
transition if not allowed to speak truth? Most
people do not really believe the person dying can still hear; this actually
compounds the silence at bedside, ending in missed opportunities.
The main goal is keeping the person comfortable; comfort
medications are available and usually needed to help accomplish that goal.
Communication about real issues also helps facilitate comfort (usually
resulting in less respiratory distress, less pain, less anxiety, less comfort
medications) and closure for everyone; KEED (keeping everyone enjoying
development) Publishing wants to get the world talking about a subject,
regardless of our religious affiliation or belief, we all will personally
experience one day.
