Episode 68: The Conversations That Make Goals of Care, Setting Limits, and Death and Dying Less Overwhelming

How would you know what your loved one would want if you suddenly had to make healthcare decisions for them? Conversations about goals of care, setting limits, and death and dying can feel uncomfortable, especially when everyone is focused on doing everything possible.

But I want to help you have these conversations before you're sitting in a hospital room being asked to make an urgent decision. In this episode, I talk about why I encourage families to discuss treatment limits at home, revisit those decisions after hospital stays or health changes, and document specific wishes before a crisis happens.

By listening, you'll learn: How to have more specific conversations about treatment limits so you and your loved ones have a clearer plan when difficult decisions arise. How to recognize a slower process of dying that can involve repeated hospitalizations, declining function, and treatments that may no longer change the overall outcome.

How setting limits can still mean providing active, compassionate care focused on comfort, dignity, and honoring what your loved one actually wants. Listen to this episode to feel more prepared to have goals-of-care conversations and support your loved one with greater clarity when decisions about death and dying arise.

Prescription for Admission is a podcast for Gen X and Millennial family caregivers navigating the healthcare system and medical system for loved ones living with conditions like diabetes, dementia, cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline, helping them understand hospital care, navigate hospital stays, work effectively with doctors and specialists, organize medical records, connect with a case manager, seek a second opinion, become an effective medical advocate, and improve care coordination and discharge planning. Visit my website: ⁠⁠ Shop & Resources: The Shop: Get the Book and other Advocacy Resources Hospital Smart Packages: Choose the perfect Hospital Smart Package for yourself Follow us on socials for daily advocacy tips: ⁠⁠Instagram/@the_happiest_hospitalist⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Facebook/DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠LinkedIn/DrMoniqueNugentMDMPH⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube/@DrMoniqueNugent⁠⁠ ⁠⁠TikTok/@drmoniquenugent⁠ Support the Show If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe and leave a 5-star review .

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Remember, you are your own best advocate.