Story #1: The story of Rose: a lack of honest communication [1] Posted 6 Feb 2022
This is one story in a series of 15 on End of Life.
A middle-aged woman was dying in a major city hospital. Rose was receiving palliative treatment for her cancer and was spending most of her days alone. In the last few weeks of her life, as her condition slowly deteriorated, she kept ringing the nurses’ bell, complaining of pain. Although the doctor adjusted the medication dosage a number of times to ensure that her pain was well-managed whilst keeping her alert, Rose continued to ring the nurses’ bell over and over, complaining of pain. A psychiatrist was called in yet before going to the patient’s room he learned from one of the nurses that Rose had never been informed of her diagnosis or prognosis.
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[1] Extracts from Facing Death and Finding Hope:
A Guide to the Emotional and Spiritual Care of the Dying By Christine Longaker, Broadway Books, New York 2001, 262 pp
