Category: Elder care

Caring for an Elderly Relative who says they want to die. “The real answer is to help make living as good and meaningful as possible until death”

By Nancy Valko I was disturbed but not really surprised when I read the October 21, 2020 New England Journal of Medicine article by Scott D. Halpern, M.D, Ph.D., titled “Learning about End-of-Life Care from Grandpa”. Dr. Halpern, a palliative care doctor and ethicist at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote about his elderly grandfather who had …

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Questions raised about Sweden’s Covid-19 policy on nursing homes

By Michael Cook  Disturbing figures are coming from Sweden about the number of Covid-19 deaths amongst the elderly. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, half of the people who died in Sweden were residents of nursing homes. Sweden’s approach to the pandemic was different. It relied upon voluntary social distancing and closing …

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MCCL calls for resignation of Commissioner Malcolm as crisis continues in Minnesota’s long-term care centers

Change in leadership and policy needed in order to protect lives of the vulnerable ST. PAUL — Today Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL) called for the resignation of Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Commissioner Jan Malcolm and an immediate end to the state’s policy of placing infected COVID-19 patients in long-term care centers—especially centers …

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Life and Death: Lessons My Mother Taught Me

By Bonnie Finnerty, Education Director, Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation On January 18, 2019, I eagerly accepted the position of Education Director at the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation. My former career as a teacher coupled with my life-long advocacy of life issues led me to believe this was the job for which I had long been searching. Part-time …

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The privilege of remembering for both of us: a grandmother’s journey through Alzheimer’s

By Dave Andrusko For some 25 years I’ve had the privilege of leading an adult Sunday school class. We share “Joys and Concerns” each week and since many of the members have parents who are aging rapidly and/or in declining health, we often talk about what that entails, not only for them, but for their …

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Pushing ‘Healthspan’ Duty to Die for the Elderly?

By Wesley J. Smith The bioethicist and Obamacare architect, Ezekiel Emanuel, made headlines — and raised hackles — when he argued a few years ago that 75 is the right age to die, or at least, to stop fighting medically to extend life. Now in “From Lifespan to Healthspan,” published by The Journal of the …

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Sedating them to death: a remedy for dementia, stroke and brain injury

British Medical Association considers terminal sedation for large numbers of non-dying patients. By Peter Saunders Editor’s note. This appears on the blog of the Christian Medical Fellowship and is reposted with Dr. Saunders’ permission. Is it justifiable to withdraw food and fluids from patients with dementia, stroke and brain injury who are not imminently dying? New …

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3 Tips for Safeguarding Your Loved One in a Nursing Home

By Nancy Valko I have had many relatives and friends who lived in nursing homes and, especially as a nurse, I am always saddened by how few of the other residents had any visitors, even family members. I have even heard relatives say they would just prefer to remember their relative “the way they were.” …

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Five Things my Mother (and Daughter) Taught Me about Caring for People with Dementia

By Nancy Valko My mother developed Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, in her early 60s. Later on, she was diagnosed with an aggressive thyroid cancer that required a surgical opening in her throat called a tracheostomy so that she would not suffocate from the tumor. My father and siblings were naturally distraught …

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MCCL GO addresses the rights of older persons at the United Nations

  Editor’s note. MCCL GO is a pro-life NGO global outreach program of the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life Education Fund. Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life is NRLC’s state affiliate. NEW YORK, N.Y. — The fifth working session of the Open-ended Working Group on Ageing convened last week at the United Nations. Scott Fischbach, Executive …

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The privilege of remembering for both of us

  By Dave Andrusko Editor’s note. We are approaching the fourth anniversary (can it be four years?!) since “Kay” passed away and three years since I wrote about our experience with her. Kay made such a lasting impression on my wife and myself that periodically I try to share the lessons I learned from her …

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