SAFEGUARD L FOR LIFE-ENDING DECISIONS
ENROLLMENT
IN A HOSPITAL
OR HOSPICE
The patient who is considering life-ending decisions
should be receiving medical care either in a hospital or a hospice
program.
This safeguard is automatically fulfilled by such
enrollment.
And the certification of this safeguard consists of
stating the name and address of the hospital or hospice
and the dates for the most recent care
that is relevant to the
end-of-life choices of the patient.
All the relevant medical records
will already be
carefully maintained by the medical institutions named.
And if it seems relevant, a summary of these medical records
can be assembled and added to the death-planning documents.
Could this hospital safeguard replace the "terminal
illness"
safeguard?
When the patient has been receiving medical care in a hospital or
hospice,
the fact of being enrolled for such professional medical care
is sufficient proof that the patient has a serious medical condition.
And the exact facts of this medical condition will be contained in
the primary
physician's written statement of
condition and prognosis.
If the patient has been enrolled in a hospice program,
this generally means that everyone knows the condition
is terminal,
even if the medical records contain no official declaration of terminal
illness.
In some cases of valid wishes to die,
there will be no disease or condition that could be treated in a
hospital
and there will be no reason for hospice care.
These background facts can simply be reported,
explaining why this safeguard does not apply.
And then the other safeguards all become more important.
HOW HOSPITAL AND HOSPICE CARE DISCOURAGE
IRRATIONAL SUICIDE AND OTHER PREMATURE
DEATHS
Persons who find themselves tempted to commit
irrational suicide
usually do not enroll themselves in hospital care or hospice programs.
Hospitals admit patients with real diseases or conditions to be treated.
Psychiatric treatment programs accept patients with
'mental illnesses'.
If the patient is already known to have suicidal
tendencies,
the program will treat the urge to commit irrational
suicide.
Because all medical treatment includes
careful record-keeping,
mistakes and abuses of the right-to-die are much less likely in
hospitals.
People plotting to commit murder or otherwise cause a premature
death
do not want their actions recorded by any medical institution.
When appropriate, hospitals and hospice programs
should be
informed
of the danger of mercy-killing taking place by some hidden means
while patients are receiving medical care.
Additional surveillance and other security measures might be needed
if there is any suspicion that some family member
or even an enemy of
the patient is going to attempt to kill the patient
while that patient is receiving
hospital or hospice care.
All medical discussions and decisions are documented.
These medical records are kept
private
except in those rare instances
where there are reasons to believe that a crime has been
committed
under the guise of hospital or hospice care.
created January 17,
2007; revised 2-1-2007; 3-15-2008; 4-28-2008;
2-6-2010; 5-20-2010;
5-27-2011; 12-15-2011;
1-29-2012; 2-22-2012; 3-23-2012; 8-2-2012;
8-22-2012; 11-15-2012;
5-22-2013; 7-12-2014; 5-16-2015; 11-30-2017; 10-24-2018; 6-5-2020;
The
fact that the patient has been receiving professional medical care
shows
there are serious problems worth treating, not just an urge to
die.
This
is Safeguard L in How
to Die: Safeguards for Life-Ending Decisions:
"Enrollment
in a Hospital or Hospice".