KB Times
 Katten & Benson, Your Elder Care Law Specialists
September2011 
In This Issue
Did You Know?
K & B Happenings
Slow Medicine
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Did You Know?
  • Fewer than 2% of people in their 80s and 90s survive more than a month after being resuscitated at home
  • During the period 2003-2007, Medicare expenditures during the last 2 years of life averaged $62,000 in Tarrant County
  • The national average for the same period was $59,976 
K & B Happenings

 Labor Day

The office will be closed Monday, September 5.

 

Presentations

 

TAGS Ethics Conference

Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2011

8:00 am -- 10:00 am

American Cancer Society

 

Let's Talk Choices

Friday, Sept. 16

8:00 am -- 2:00 pm

Southcliff Baptist Church
4100 SW Loop 820  
Fort Worth, TX  76109 

 

Looking Ahead: Planning for Future Legal and Financial Needs

Kathy Dorsey & Steve Katten

Wednesday, Sept. 21

6:30 pm -- 7:30 pm

Catholic Charities

249 W. Thornhill Dr.

Fort Worth, TX 76115

Presented by the Alzheimer's Association

Free to the public, but please register at 817-336-4949

 

 

 Time Off

 

Kim will be out Sept. 15-19.

 

Monica and Dana will be out September 23.




Car Keys 

Slow Medicine

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I have been reading the book My Mother, Your Mother, by David McCullough. Dr. McCullough is a geriatrician, and he proposes that we adopt the method of "slow medicine" with older adults.

 

When you consider our current health care delivery system, it is excellent at dealing with trauma and diagnosis, and this works well for younger people, who are generally healthy. But this method may not work so well with older adults, who typically deal with chronic disease management. Insurance certainly promotes trauma and diagnosis, because doctors are reimbursed for procedures, and not for taking the time to talk to patients and develop management programs for chronic diseases.

 

Dr. McCullough talks about slow medicine as a more social approach to providing health care. He talks about developing teams that include the patient and family at the center, as well as doctors, nurses, social workers and other health care providers. The focus becomes the patient's quality of life, with all team members advocating for and helping the older adult achieve a quality life. 

 

Here is an example of a slow medicine approach:

  • Mr. Smith is 85 years old, and has developed a mole on his arm. Most doctors will recommend a biopsy and treatment if the mole turns out to be cancerous. A slow medicine approach, however, would take the position that if the mole is not painful, if it does not look like a cancerous growth, we won't biopsy it. Furthermore, even if it looks cancerous, the slow medicine approach will consider whether possible treatment will truly be beneficial, or if it will cause problems that interfere with Mr. Smith's quality of life. At age 85, Mr. Smith might be fine with leaving it alone and just living his life. 
The problem is that too often someone like Mr. Smith will be told he has to have the biopsy, and not really given a clear choice about the biopsy. If the biopsy is negative, then great, Mr. Smith gets to go about his business. 

 

If, however the biopsy is positive, then Mr. Smith and his family have to decide whether to undergo treatment. There are a lot of things to consider in this situation--what exactly is the treatment? How long will treatment last? What are the side effects? Will it prolong life? Will treatment affect quality of life? Unfortunately, the answers to these types of questions are often pretty nebulous, and many doctors are reluctant to talk about treatment in terms of quality of life or length of life. 

 

In this type of situation, a lot of people are reluctant to question what the doctor tells them, and doctors are not always willing to hear that a patient doesn't want treatment. 

 

If we always strive to keep the older adult's quality of life at the center of decision-making, and advocate on their behalf with health care providers, a slow medicine approach is possible.
Walk to End Alzheimers
Alzheimer's Walk logo
The Alzheimer's Association is an organization that provides a lot of services for people with dementia and their families. Katten & Benson supports the Alzheimer's Association throughout the year in a number of ways, and the annual Walk to End Alzheimer's is a fun way to support this fine organization.

We invite you to join us as we walk to end Alzheimer's Disease. You can walk as an individual, or you can join the Katten & Benson team. We will be walking in Fort Worth on Saturday, October 15. If you can't walk that day, there are walks in Weatherford on September 24, in Arlington on October1, and in Grapevine on October 8. If you can't walk, consider a donation. 

Hope to see you there!

 

Don't forget that we are always here and ready to help with your long term care planning needs.
 
Sincerely,
 
Kim Olmedo, LCSW, CCSM, CSW-G
Elder Care Coordinator
Katten & Benson