Peaceful Transitions: Stories of Success and Compassion

by Stanley A Terman, PhD, MD, Michael S Evans, MSW, JD (Editor), Guy Micco, MD (Editor), Ronald B Miller, MD (Editor), Karl E Steinberg, MD, CMD (Editor)

Overview

The staggeringly huge epidemic of Alzheimer’s and related dementias presents huge challenges. Of all diseases, Advanced Dementia is the most cruel, longest and most burdensome. Those who know about Advanced Dementia dread it more than any other disease. Yet for many, it is in the "closet-within-the-closet": as a society, we tend to not talk about the disease of dementia and we especially avoid talking about how one dies with dementia.

"Peaceful Transitions: Stories of Success and Compassion" provides hope as it portrays what life can be like for dementia patients and for their loved ones. (It also covers other terminal illnesses.) It summarizes recent research that reveals Advanced Dementia patients have an increased risk for NOT receiving treatment for pain and suffering. Since patients cannot verbalize their complaints, their physicians do not know they are suffering. Also, when they are in pain, their behavior is often not typical.

There is a legal and peaceful way to prevent months to years of prolonged dying and possibly untreated pain after mental deterioration becomes devastating. Called "Natural Dying," this book explains how readers can select from a list of criteria that includes the symptoms, losses of function, unwanted behaviors, and conflicts with lifelong values, to create a Living Will. Then, their future decision-maker (proxy/agent) will know precisely WHEN they would want Natural Dying. Important: this specific Living Will can also prevent premature dying. Unfortunately, a powerful opposition that state laws protect, allows professionals and institutions to refuse to honor a person's wishes. Here is a "short list" of examples: certain interpretations of religious teachings; physician's moral conscience; fear of discrimination of disabled people; confusion about government regulations; and new physician order forms (POLSTs) that can override previously expressed wishes. There is also greed: others can profit from forcing patients to suffer longer.

The book's stories illustrate how these challenges can be overcome so readers can attain the goal of timely and peaceful transitions. Readers can identify and learn from "A Tale of Two Mothers" and "Our Fathers, Ourselves." Some stories are composites of the author's patients. Other stories are about the author's own family, were written by guest authors such as Attorney Susan M. Wolf, and are excerpts from movies, books, and the clinical literature. The story, "To live long enough to warm the hearts of others," frankly reveals Dr. Terman's moral angst as he asks: Is it right or wrong to provide knowledge to a person about how to die? Dr. Stanley A. Terman is a psychiatrist who leads the non-profit organization, Caring Advocates, which helps people plan for… and then attain timely and peaceful transitions.

The book also covers a legal option that not all doctors or institutions provide, but may be essential to relieve days to weeks of unending, unbearable pain and suffering. In demonstrating how diligent Advance Care Planning can make a big difference in how much and how long dying patients suffer, the book’s stories are designed to motivate readers to action.

The book is richly illustrated with line drawings and photographs. It introduces an optional, new, easy, and interactive tool to create Living Wills called "My Way Cards," as an alternative to using its list of Criteria of Advanced Dementia.

Dr. Terman's writing and crafted clinical and legal strategies were subjected to extensive critical editing and numerous, practical suggestions from his colleagues who are prominent health care attorneys and clinical bioethicists.

This book will help readers understand the challenges of dying well. It will also lower their anxiety about how long and how much they will be forced to suffer before they die. It will even enhance their appreciation of living--from now until it is "timely" for their peaceful transition.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940012828743
Publisher:	Life Transitions Publications
Publication date:	07/05/2011
Series:	Peaceful Transitions , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	140
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Dr. Stanley A. Terman is a board-certified psychiatrist. He received an AB from Brown University, a PhD from MIT, and an MD from the University of Iowa. He had been on the faculty of University of California, Irvine and now leads Caring Advocates, a non-profit organization he founded in 2000.
Dr. Terman's life mission is to reduce the suffering of patients and families as they face a final transition. He actively presents workshops and seminars to general and professional audiences on Advance Care Planning. He works intensely with individuals and families to plan and to help fulfill their end-of-life treatment wishes.

Dr. Terman is the author of The BEST WAY to Say Goodbye: A Legal Peaceful Choice at the End of Life (2007), Lethal Choice (2008) (a medical thriller), and Peaceful Transitions: Stories of Success and Compassion; Plan Now, Die Later--Ironclad Strategy (2011). Peaceful Transitions combines two books that are also available separately, in print and as e-books. Dr. Terman is also the co-developer of a form that physically combines an Advance Directive with a set of Physician's Orders that is the cornerstone of an effective strategy to help assure others will honor your Known Wishes after you no longer can speak for yourself.

Dr. Terman devoted nearly a decade to designing a new interactive tool My Way Cards to help people create a Living Will for Advanced Dementia as well as other terminal illnesses.

Why will sorting My Way Cards, which leads to the Natural Dying--Living Will be effective? Because the Natural Dying Living Will has specific statements that are clear and convincing; the cards can be sorted in a way that provides proof to help convince others that patients made diligent choices when their minds were emotionally stable and sound ( had capacity ). Also, the choices themselves can be shown to be stable over time. The effort can lead to physicians' understanding about what you want and why--so that they comply without conflict.

The book, Peaceful Transitions: Stories of Success and Compassion (2011), has many poignant stories that illustrate how an effective Advance Care Planning can make a huge difference in how long and how much you suffer before you die.

The book, Peaceful Transitions: Plan Now, Die Later--Ironclad Strategy (2011), has additional strategies so that your proxy can avoid going to court, and your family can avoid conflict.