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    League of Women Voters of Greater Dover


    February Luncheon Meeting:
    End of Life Planning

    The League of Women Voters of Kent County hosted a panel discussion, "What Does the New Health Care Law Say About End-of-Life Planning?" at the Camden Friends Gathering Place on February 23, 2011. The program was well received, with 44 people participating in the free public forum.

    Photo: End of Life Panel at LWVKC Meeting in Camden
    Panel Members (from left) Linda Goodnight, Thaddeus Pope, Sharon Garrick. Moderator, Jo Ann Fields.

    Panelists included Linda Goodnight, Social Services Director of Silver Lake Nursing Center; Sharon Garrick, Executive Director of Seasons Hospice; and Thaddeus Pope, JD, PhD, representing Delaware End of Life Coalition. LWVKC member Jo Ann Fields, MD, moderated.

    The panel discussion addressed questions on health care issues such as:

    • Do you fear that you will be denied life saving medical care?
    • What will end of life care be like in the future?
    • How is hospice care and palliative care improving?
    • Is there such a thing as being over treated?

    The goal of the panel discussion was to provide current health care information resulting in more informed decisions for end-of-life care, and to explore what values Americans most wish to express as a nation to address this concern. The audience posed questions concerning the realities of end-of-life situations not being covered in the current health care picture. Among other end-of-life care issues, concerns were stated about the relationship of cost to various services.

    The new health care law, the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," includes provisions designed to improve care at the end of life by involving patients in decision making to better treat pain and other quality of life issues and to improve palliative care. The panel discussed what approaches to managing health care work best, guided by the belief that human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion.

    Panelist Linda Goodnight
    Panelist Linda Goodnight, Social Services Director of Silver Lake Nursing Center, at End-of-Life Care Forum.