Some Hospice Care Providers Enforcing State-Sanctioned Euthanasia Through Illinois Probate Courts

Letter to the Editor by "G"

 

EDITOR'S NOTE:  In 2008, RFFM.org ran a series of columns dealing with end of life issues, including the dangers presented by living wills and information regarding how some hospice care providers are hastening deaths of the elderly [see links below].  RFFM.org has received numerous firsthand accounts which confirm the information offered in the series and the following letter to RFFM.org illustrates how the state may be complicit in the euthanasia of the aged with the assistance of Illinois courts.  This situation may also be occurring outside of Illinois as well.  It is a must read for senior citizens, their families and loved ones.  It also points out every American should be vigilant of an anti-life agenda which is being advanced, for the most part, without the public's knowledge.  The letter below is not a piece of literary perfection, but it is an articulate description of what is happening, all to often, across the state of Illinois and possibly our nation. 

 

RFFM.org strongly suggests, in place of a living will, all Americans should go to the Illinois Right to Life Committee's web site and download the Patient Self-Protection Document at this link: http://www.illinoisrighttolife.org/pspdoc.htm.  One day, it may save your life or the life of a loved one.  

 

 

My Dad just passed away while under hospice care.  I believe they killed him.  After leaving the hospital to go into a nursing home--because the hospital said he was not ready for hospice--he was very alert and had a strong drive for life.  He'd whisper to me about others that were dying when, in fact, my siblings had planned an end to his life.  My Dad refused physical therapy and was then put into hospice.  Since I spent a lot of time with him--and not the usual 45 minutes once a week as my siblings would do--I know that if he was tired from a poor night's sleep (up to urinate a lot) then therapy and food intake would be affected, as it would be with any of us.  My brother and my sister were his proxy and acting as his proxy before he was declared incapable of taking care of his own affairs.  He tried to contact his lawyer to be his own proxy  and in a meeting at the nursing home he said he wanted to be his own proxy, but it was too late, they already decided to end his life.  Again, ignoring his wishes when, in fact, they were not legally his proxy at that time.

 

I was constantly threatened by my siblings as I tried to help my Dad speak for himself, i.e., be at his own meeting, to which they had another meeting immediately after the one he was at, in order to arrange his death.  My Dad was an inconvenience to my siblings--their time share properties, their retirement days, etc. and the money from his will would become less for them to have if he went on living with the nursing home costs.  My Dad had COPD and was on oxygen, but he was in no pain.  He was in a wheelchair, but wanted to keep using his legs to maneuver himself and he wanted to go to the bathroom himself, get himself into bed, dress himself, etc. but he was told they'd bring in the police--if he kept trying to do these things for himself.  He became very intimidated, having to wait 20 minutes or more to go to the bathroom and would sometimes mess his pants while waiting for an attendant and be embarrassed.  He'd tell me how he had to wait to go to bed, one night from 7:50 until 9:40 to get into bed.  He was nervous that, if my visits were long, they'd make him wait even longer for his needs to be met and he would draw further ire from those in the hospice care facility.  My Dad was taking eight pills or more, all at once, no throat closing up (as they said it would), in order to justify the need to prescribe him morphine.  One Monday, I was going to take him to his favorite place to eat and I was told I could not take him, although my siblings were not yet declared his proxy--one week later, my Dad is dead. 

 

I consistently found his oxygen would be on 0 or not hooked up after a nebulizer treatment, and he would then be without oxygen for hours before my discovery.  I found the nebulizer cartridge filled on the floor near his bed.  With these constant errors, I wonder what else was done to him which hastened his death.  I was not allowed to see his medication, and then they were taken away and he was sedated to sleep and morphine was administered--when, in fact, he explicitly told the staff he did not want no morphine.  I wish I had pursued an autopsy to verify my Dad died from a morphine overdose, but feeling threatened just by visiting him, made me fear to pursue what was the right thing to do--when wrong had been done.

 

 

RELATED ARTICLES:

 

The following series of columns related to end of life issues were posted on RFFM.org and written by:

 

Bill Beckman, Executive Director, Illinois Right to Life Committee http://www.illinoisrighttolife.org ;

 

Stephen Bloom, a Christian Attorney at Law and an expert on living wills http://www.istherealawyerinthechurch.com/; and

 

Daniel Zanoza, Executive Director, RFFM.org

 

Part I The Myth Of Living Wills:  You Are Actually Signing Your Life Away by Bill Beckman posted August 11, 2008 at http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/the-myth-of-living-wills.html

 

 

Part II How a Living Will can bring about your premature death by Bill Beckman posted on August 12, 2008 at http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/how-a-living-will-can-bring-about-your-premature-death.html 

 

 

Part III Futile Care--Knowing What It Is May Save Your Life Or The Life Of A Loved One by Bill Beckman posted August 13, 2008 at http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/part-iii-futile-care--knowing-what-it-is-may-save-your-life-or-the-life-of-a-loved-one.html

 

 

Part IV Research on "brain dead" and "almost dead" patients declared "ethical" by Bill Beckman posted August 14, 2008 at http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/part-iv-research-on-brain-dead-and-almost-dead-patients-declared-ethical.html

 

 

Part V Choose Hospice Care Provider Carefully: Using Hospice Care To Hasten Death Declared "Ethical" by Bill Beckman posted August 15, 2008 at http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/part-v-choose-hospice-care-provider-carefully-using-hospice-care-to-hasten-death-declared-ethical.html

 

Part VI Some Hospice Care Providers Hasten Death Through Use Of Morphine Overdoses + Other Means? by Bill Beckman posted on August 16, 2008 at http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/part-vi-some-hospice-care-providers-hasten-death.html

 

 

Part VII Culture Of Death Taking Toll On Those Nearing Life's End:  Overview -- by Daniel T. Zanoza posted on August 17, 2008 at
http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/part-vii-culture-of-death-taking-toll-on-those-nearing-lifes-end.html

 

 

"Living Will" Becomes a License to Kill: The Horror Goes On In 2008 by Bill Beckman posted on August 18, 2008 at http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/living-will-becomes-a-license-to-kill.html

 

 

Living Wills: Signing Your Own Death Warrant? A Christian Lawyer’s Perspective by Stephen Bloom posted on August 19, 2008 at
http://rffm.typepad.com/republicans_for_fair_medi/2008/08/living-wills-signing-your-own-death-warrant-a-christian-lawyers-perspective.html

Anyone wishing to receive RFFM.org e-mails should contact:  [email protected]  

 

NOTE: Comments to RFFM.org's blog which include ad hominems or personal attack will automatically be rejected.  No hyperlinks allowed.

 

To make a secure online donation to support RFFM, please go to:  https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=5U5V8GAKCYTU8

Comments

[L.S.]

O my. This is similar to what happened to my Dad. He also had COPD, with NO pain at all.

My Mom placed him in a hospice RESPITE to have a little break around Thanksgiving and PROMISED to pick him up in a few days. Long story, but they had PROMISED that they would NOT give him any pain medications as he was not in pain.

Within 36 hours he was gone. We got the medical records and found out that they had given him morphine PRN and 4 other anti-anxiety medications!!!!! We also thought we should have an autopsy (to prove a drug overdose) but it is hard to prove....he died on Thanksgiving Day - and we were told that the people that do the autopsies were gone for the holiday weekend and that in 4 days the drugs would have gotten out of his system.

Within 1/2 hour of dropping him off we found out they put him on "Nothing by mouth". This was for a man who was hungry and had eaten breakfast when he arrived......

My Mom blames herself. We surely did not know. We tried to get a lawyer but no one will take a case regarding hospice as they are too big to deal with and are a sacred cow.