The one regret about my mom’s illness is that she did not have “The Talk” by her doctor that her cancer was terminal. In my heart I knew there were no more options but the doctor could have told us our next step.
Most cancer doctors avoid saying it’s the end
Only one-third of terminally ill cancer patients in a new, federally funded study said their doctors had discussed end-of-life care.
Surprisingly, patients who had these talks were no more likely to become depressed than those who did not, the study found. They were less likely to spend their final days in hospitals, tethered to machines. They avoided costly, futile care. And their loved ones were more at peace after they died.
