Earlier this week, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association announced it was awarded a $1 million grant to provide training and awareness when it comes to end-of-life care.
It’s a subject many people don’t want to talk about — but probably should.
We prepare for marriage, we prepare for the arrival of a baby, but we don’t really prepare for our own death, said Sandra Severson, who is with the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association. She said the grant her organization received will help educate providers across the state on how to talk to patients about end of life issues.
"So, with chronic disease, and living much longer, the frailty, the age, the Alzheimer’s, we have to learn to have those conversations about what’s important to them. We always hope for the best but we have to have a plan B," said Severson.
Severson said when a person fails to have that conversation with their doctor or family, health care providers are required to do everything to keep a person alive. She said that can result in “futile care.”
