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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| End-of-life care in elderly cancer patients | | Author(s) | Sophie Pautex, Gilbert B Zulian |
| Journal title | Aging Health, vol 7, no 3, June 2011 |
| Pages | pp 469-475 |
| Source | http://www.futuremedicine.com/loi/ahe |
| Keywords | Cancer ; Dying ; Palliative care ; Therapeutics ; Advance directives ; Euthanasia ; Social ethics. |
| Annotation | In spite of increased life expectancy at the dawn of the 21st century, chronic disorders in older people are still taking their toll, with cancers being the most prevalent. The question of how to approach the end of life remains largely unresolved, however the development of palliative care may provide some answers. Although the deficits in providing good palliative care are well known in many areas, dramatic improvements have been made to allow healthcare professionals to achieve impeccable symptom control, through sedation, chemotherapy and other means. However, patients' existential suffering remains, and many are likely to become cognitively impaired. The use of advance directives may be appropriate in order to ensure patients' autonomy as they become incapable of making their own decisions. However the practice of assisted suicide and euthanasia (which are considered acceptable in some countries) are of great professional and ethical concern. Education, training and research are key elements for the development of palliative care and for the general improvement of care delivered to older patients approaching the end of their lives. (JL). |
| Accession Number | CPA-121023003 A |
| Classmark | CK: CX: LVB: LL: CXB: CY: TQ |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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