After 14 months of treating him for dementia, pneumonia, bed sores and other ailments, Desmond Watson’s medical team at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital determined that he had noncommunicative and irreversible dementia and that no improvement can be expected. (Toronto Star) The medical team sought permission from Desmond's wife Maria to remove heroic measures from their treatment plan and care for him as a palliative patient.
Desmond’s wife and two of his daughters firmly opposed that approach, insisting the devout Catholic patient would have wanted to be given every chance at life despite any suffering he may be enduring.
The CCB panel found that the wishes of Maria, Desmond’s substitute decision maker, must be respected. As super-CCB-lawyer Mark Handelman stated, "This was a case that basically pitted a person’s values and beliefs against his objective medical condition." In such cases, the surrogate often prevails.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar