What would you consider the definition of the word “unbefriended”? The word is not identified in the Webster Dictionary, but has become a term used by many medical centers and lawyers who deal with cases of elderly people who have no one to make hard, life-changing decisions for them. Paula Span, author of the New York Times online blog, “The New Old Age”, explains the definition of this term through the use of stories, facts, and statistics. Readers learn shortly that the term is used to describe people who have outlived all of their closest relatives and friends, and therefore, have no appointed surrogate to make any medical decisions for them when they cannot make it themselves. In her article, “Near the End It's Best to be “Friended”, Paula Span informs and convinces her readers of the importance of electing a surrogate to carry out their final wishes should they become incapable of doing so themselves. Span achieves this intention through the use of the three rhetorical devices: ethos, …show more content…
Span never establishes any ethos in her argument; she never states who she is or why she is qualified to write this account. But, readers can assume she has some partial qualification considering she is the author of an NY Times blog that specializes in these topics. She is an expert in the fields of assisted living, hospices, and coping with a loved one's lack of independence. Her audience can be best described as readers of her blog and people who are curious in learning about what to do if they are left unbefriended. Span's main intention for writing this account can be depicted as trying to inform readers about what medical companies are attempting to do about the “unbefriended” issue and how they can prevent doctors and physicians from having to make the hard decisions by themselves. Using this intention, Span makes her argument more engaging and factual by appealing to two rhetorical devices, pathos and
The one example of this that I found most relevant in the book is the situation of Armando. Armando was shot and the bullet lodged in the spinal canal. It caused enough damage to make him a paraplegic, but not enough to kill him. The ethics committee had decided that it was best to encompass a DNR because he had no health insurance, and his quality of life was not what it was before. When the doctors went to approve this with Armando, he denied the DNR and said that he wanted what ever was necessary to be done to him to save his life (Belkin p. 58-59). This made Cindy worried for the cost of keeping him alive was substantial. All the doctors and caretakers believed that he should be placed under DNR, however that was not what Armando wanted. The doctors believed that was the wrong decision. This correlates to what the quote was from the book on page 70; doctors can tend to be narrow-minded when it comes to the care of a patient. They believe that their course of action is the best and do not agree if the patient wants something different. This I have found is also true in my own personal experience with doctors. For example, when I was about 17 my wisdom teeth were growing in. I was in terrible pan from two of my wisdom teeth being impacted. My
The ethical principle of nonmaleficence demands to first do no harm and in this case protect the patient from harm since she cannot protect. Nurses must be aware in situations such as this, that they are expected to advocate for patients in a right and reasonable way. The dilemma with nonmaleficence is that Mrs. Boswell has no chance of recovery because of her increasing debilitating mental incapability and the obvious harm that outweighs the intended benefits. If the decision were to continue treatment, suffering of the patient and family would be evident. Autonomy is the right to making own decisions and freedom to choose a plan of action. When making decisions regarding treatment of another person, it is important to respect the expressed wishes of the individual. John says that his mother would want to live as long as she could, but questions arise related to her quality of life and perception of prolonged suffering by prolonging the dying process. In BOOK states that quality of life changes throughout one’s life ...
I have known Paula Lahera for many years; however, our relationship really began to thrive four years ago. We both started at Harvard Westlake in ninth grade and having been at the same elementary school, knew each other well enough to strike up conversation. I knew right off the bat that we would develop a great friendship because I was able to recognize an intense curiosity and kindness in her that was welcoming for anyone slightly nervous at a new school.
Barbra Huttmann’s purpose in writing her story in A Crime of Compassion is to convince people that no matter their beliefs, it is sometimes more humane to let someone die if they are suffering. This was the case with a cancer patient of hers named Mac. She communicates this directly by saying, “Until there is legislation making it a criminal act to code a patient has requested the right to die, we will all of us risk of the same face as Mac” (Huttmann 422).
Barbara Huttman’s “A Crime of Compassion” has many warrants yet the thesis is not qualified. This is a story that explains the struggles of being a nurse and having to make split-second decisions, whether they are right or wrong. Barbara was a nurse who was taking care of a cancer patient named Mac. Mac had wasted away to a 60-pound skeleton (95). When he walked into the hospital, he was a macho police officer who believed he could single-handedly protect the whole city (95). His condition worsened every day until it got so bad that he had to be resuscitated two or three times a day. Barbara eventually gave into his wishes to be let go. Do you believe we should have the right to die?
As I was listening to Carol’s story, I realized that her story is one of many patients. Sure, she was lucky that her husband had advocated on her behalf when she was most vulnerable and she took over once she could but how many people could not? Juggling only two balls in the air becomes tricky once we name them “patient care” and “budget”. If we were to place Carol in an ideal hospital, would she have had the same expe...
Lisa Cholodenko is best known for her award-winning short film Dinner Party (1997) and her film High Art (1997) in which she won the National Society of Film Critics. However Cholodenko’s biggest accomplishment was her 2010 movie called The Kids Are All Right, nominated for four Academy Awards (this included Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay), Lisa Cholodenko won two Golden Globes including Best Picture, in comedy, and Best Actress. Coming along way from winning a film critic award to be winning awards from two of the biggest and most popular award shows show how Cholodenko’s career gradually became more successful.
Atul Gawande’s book, Being Mortal, focuses on end-of-life care for patients in the American healthcare system. Gawande includes evidence along with anecdotes from his own life surrounding his career as a surgeon and his role in helping family members navigate their own end-of-life decisions. Much of Gawande’s argument rests on the premise that while end-of-life care in the American healthcare system is heroic and equipped with the best possible advancements in medicine, it too often fails the patients it is supposed to help. A large part of Being Mortal focuses on the doctor-patient relationship (especially in the context of shared-decision making) and how we often fail to recognize the things that are most important for our elderly in their
In this paper we will be look at the book called “Lying on the Couch”. I will be going over what I saw as the biggest ethical issues that I read about in this book, I will also go over my thoughts on this book and the ethical problems that I saw for Dr. Lash, Carol and Marshal Streider. I will explain my personal opinion regarding self-care and my reasoning as to why it is so important to maintaining clear boundaries.
Gabrielle Saveri. "An ethicist insists patients need help living, not dying." People May 1995. Vol. 43
Writer, Barbara Lazear Ascher, in her article, "On Compassion", portrays scenes from New York City. Ascher's motivation is to represent that compassion must be learned through "adversity that becomes so familiar that we begin to identify and empathize it." (13) She additionally addresses what propels compassion. As a New Yorker who has seen acts of compassion on different events, she can undoubtedly depict the scenes for her audience. She effectively does this – using rhetoric devices to convey her attitudes towards the subject such as pathos.
In the article written by Laurie Penny, she reviews the overall idea of self-love. She raises the question on whether or not all this self-love thinking could actually be harmful. Not only does she examine both the personal benefits, but the disadvantages as well. Penny also discusses how the terms ‘self-care’ and ‘wellbeing’ fit into the lives of young people and affects us as a society.
A divergent set of issues and opinions involving medical care for the very seriously ill patient have dogged the bioethics community for decades. While sophisticated medical technology has allowed people to live longer, it has also caused protracted death, most often to the severe detriment of individuals and their families. Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, believes too many Americans are “dying badly.” In discussing this issue, he stated, “Families cannot imagine there could be anything worse than their loved one dying, but in fact, there are things worse.” “It’s having someone you love…suffering, dying connected to machines” (CBS News, 2014). In the not distant past, the knowledge, skills, and technology were simply not available to cure, much less prolong the deaths of gravely ill people. In addition to the ethical and moral dilemmas this presents, the costs of intensive treatment often do not realize appreciable benefits. However, cost alone should not determine when care becomes “futile” as this veers medicine into an even more dangerous ethical quagmire. While preserving life with the best possible care is always good medicine, the suffering and protracted deaths caused from the continued use of futile measures benefits no one. For this reason, the determination of futility should be a joint decision between the physician, the patient, and his or her surrogate.
Virginia Held brings up many criticisms of traditional ethical theories in her essay. The ethics of care can be considered as a suitable substitution for other widely accepted ethical theories such as Kantian ethics. The ethics of care recognizes the importance of interpersonal relationships, especially those within the family unit. All people need care at some point during their life, be it at birth or old age. Caring for people that can not provide sufficient care for themselves is a fundamental part of a moral society. Ethical theories based on the importance of a rational and independent individual excludes the importance of interpersonal reliance.
Development in relationships provokes the teaching of valuable life lessons. Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club, published in 1989, delineates the progressive development in the mother daughter relationships and the lack offs impact on an individual. The novel illustrates the tensions between mother and daughter through a lack of communication- illuminating that communication reaches prosperity only when understanding has been established. Tan furthermore emphasises, the motherly supremacy as a contribution to a daughter’s tireless urge to instil acceptance.