Category Archives: medical decisionmaking

Lisa Blumberg: Support Grows for a Bill of Rights for People with Guardians

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Alexandra is a woman in her forties who has been described as developmentally disabled and has sometimes had problems managing her budget.  She cares about having a conventional appearance and her preference is for V-neck blouses. She unfortunately has early-stage breast cancer, but it could be treated in various ways. She could benefit from having … Continue reading Lisa Blumberg: Support Grows for a Bill of Rights for People with Guardians →

COVID-19 Reveals A Deadly Failure of Priorities

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With the looming and imminent threat of insufficient hospital and ICU beds, medical equipment and healthcare staff, I found myself recalling an old favorite TV show from my college years. MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) created both comedy and drama around the reality of having three operating room beds in an army tent on the … Continue reading COVID-19 Reveals A Deadly Failure of Priorities →

NDY Submits Comments On Adult Protective Services Guidelines

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The Administration for Community Living (part of the Administration on Aging within the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services) is seeking comments on draft voluntary consensus guidelines for Adult Protective Services.  The original deadline for comments was October 30, but it’s been extended to November 13.  More information and a portal for submitting online comments … Continue reading NDY Submits Comments On Adult Protective Services Guidelines →

NDY Files Public Comment on CMS Proposal on Advance Care Planning

"end of life", advance directives, better dead than disabled, death panels, Feeding Tubes, Institute of Medicine, life-ending decisions, life-sustaining treatment, medical decisionmaking, Our News & Commentary Blog, POLST, public comment, ,

NDY’s comment letter can be summarized as follows:  We do not oppose payment to physicians for advance care planning discussions with their patients, but we want the payment regulation delayed until the disability community and others can, with CMS support, develop new advance care planning informational materials that do not rely on “better dead than … Continue reading NDY Files Public Comment on CMS Proposal on Advance Care Planning →

Loose Ends – Last Two Essays on Bill Peace’s ‘Comfort Care As Denial of Personhood’ Up at Hastings Center Bioethics Forum

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This is kind of old news by now, but it should be of interest to anyone who read previous posts on this topic.  I’d also urge anyone who hasn’t read Bill Peace’s essay to do so, along with the commentary posted on the Bioethics Forum at the Hastings Center Site. Just to refresh people’s memories … Continue reading Loose Ends – Last Two Essays on Bill Peace’s ‘Comfort Care As Denial of Personhood’ Up at Hastings Center Bioethics Forum →