Throughout our lives we make countless decisions about our healthcare, and being in control of these choices is something many of us value. Unfortunately, often it’s only once we or a loved one has lost this autonomy that we realise just how important it is to us.
Taking active steps now to improve your health is incredibly important, but so is looking ahead and planning for the future, something that is often left out of conversations around men’s health.
When we lose someone close to us, we can often feel lost and overwhelmed. On top of dealing with our emotions and grief, we might not realise the amount of practical work that needs to be done or where to start.
Tim was a gay man suffering from an extreme form of dementia and a number of other life-threatening illnesses. We were not partners, but had a very close relationship. Such friendships, particularly in a situation of dementia, are as significant as partnerships and the role of the ‘significant other’ in the whole process of care needs to be acknowledged.
We receive calls to our Information Line from a wide variety of people who want to make sure that their wishes for future care and treatment are followed. We often hear from people who tell us that they have a mental illness, or have had a history of mental illness, and are concerned that their wishes might be ignored because of this.
My name is David Perry and I am 62 years old. I live in Burnley where I have lived all my life apart from 3 years when I attended Sheffield University to study for a Chemistry Degree. I retired from being a teacher 2 years ago after a career lasting 38 years. Throughout my career
On our Information Line, we frequently talk to people who want to plan ahead for a loss of capacity. This is often because they’ve been diagnosed with a condition such as dementia, motor neurone disease or Parkinson’s.
Over the course of six weeks, older South Asian women from Lancashire took part in discussions at Compassion in Dying’s Tea, Talk and Samosas workshops, talking about planning ahead for future treatment and care.
On 9th May 2016, the Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) became law. The Act is a significant step forward for promoting the dignity, autonomy and human rights of citizens of Northern Ireland and is the first piece of law in the world to combine mental health and mental capacity law.
When it comes to end of life care “conversation” is the new buzzword. Everyone is increasingly recognising that crucial to the delivery of person-centred good quality care are open and honest conversations. Whether between doctors and patients or with family or friends, honest conversations are the fuel on which excellent person-centred care runs.
