I'll write more about this later. Even full fledged PCP Primary Care Physicians / Family Doctors and others in medical realm, Certified Nurses CN's etc... find it difficult to distinguish between signs of aging and signs of dying. I didn't it until very very late in the game... but looking back 3 months, maybe even 18 months, there were signals I COULDAwouldaSHOULDA CWS seen. Kicking myself now but it's a tough call esp. when involved with that dying person. Funny thing when she stopped colouring pictures, I could have marked that as a signal... less food intake is a signal... but that occurs sporadically with more food one day then less for three, then recovery to more...
It MIGHT involve STATS... and AI to get this right. Still, general knowledge.. would indicate a ship going down. And thus calling hospice sooner. I think ideally hospice could be 2 years from what I know now, not 6 months. Of course... cost. Or even cost benefit.
I just wonder how many elderly 80+ 90+ are actively in a dying process being taken care of only by family, without a PCP to mark a hospice date... it must be in the tens of thousands.. since 7000/mo I think die in the US with a population of 350M. Stats again.
Even amateur caregivers can get stats with internet and AI now.
25
Responses