The NY Times talks about Medicare fraud and doctor-shopping by senior citizens. Much of that is because they are in pain and their doctors don’t know how to relieve that pain or refuse to acknowledge it.
We’re very lucky that my mother’s pain doctor ran the hospice across the street, so she knew she was in good hands when she decided to go to hospice.
Yes, I studied geriatrics a bit in college but most doctors think pain, especially espressed from a female patient, is invalid. If women in pain talk about it and men in pain mask it, how is a doctor to know?
I do know that the last two weeks of my mother’s life were relatively comfortable and she had all her family around. Her doctor said she was a fighter, and that he wish he’d known her better before her decline.
For me, keep me pain-free and allow me to spend precious moments with family and friends. May more doctors learn this art and science. Respectfully, Dee
Cooking with Dee 