A local hospice organization urged the public yesterday — on the eve of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day — to sign consent forms indicating their willingness to use hospice care services in times of need.
Not only would this allow terminally ill patients to express how they want to live, but it would also save family members the difficulty of making decisions for their loved ones when the time comes, the Taiwan Hospice Organization said.
After signing the form, the person’s national health card will be marked with “do not resuscitate” (DNR), said Chen Hong-wen (陳虹汶), the organization’s board director.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
In the event of an emergency situation, hospice staff would not perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a patient, but instead opt for other medical treatments that help alleviate pain and improve quality of life, she said.
“Hospice care does not mean giving up on life or that death is imminent,” she added.
Chen said that instead of what she described as “useless” medical treatment, hospice care provides severely ill patients with holistic care, including physical and spiritual healing.
The husband of Chen Feng-yin (陳鳳鸚), a woman who chose to enter a hospice ward after suffering from a series of complications resulting from terminal lung cancer, said at the press conference: “Why not let her leave this world happily when the time comes?”
In a video clip made before her death last month, Chen said: “When I signed the consent form, I wanted my family to respect my choice.”
“Because of hospice care, I can leave the world smiling,” she said in the video, which showed her engaging in various aromatherapy sessions and music therapy at the hospice.
Taiwan has come a long way in promoting hospice care, said Shih Chung-liang (石崇良), director of the Department of Health’s Bureau of Medical Affairs. He said the government started educating the public about palliative nursing as early as 2006 and it ranked top in Asia’s end-of-life care in a recent international study.
However, while 78.7 percent of 515 family respondents to a survey conducted earlier this year said they had heard of hospice care, only 57.3 percent of 539 patient respondents said they were aware of the program.
The figures demonstrate the need for patients to understand more about the choices they have regarding different types of medical treatments, Shih said.
For that reason, the organization is inviting the public to experience hospice care today free of charge. Specialists will be present to offer consultations and consent forms will be available.
As of the end of last month, there were 87,000 people in the country who had their health insurance cards marked with the choice of hospice treatment, most of whom are aged between 50 and 59.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS