Knowing Your Patient

After talking with Satomi about hospice, I was concerned and torn.  The decision seemed too easy for her.  Had she really been thinking about it for days?  Was she just depressed and wanting to give up?  Did she think she was just being an undue burden?  Was she in an alternate reality and thought it was a dream?  Seriously, I had to be sure.

Most importantly, I had to be sure that she was in her right mind.  What if she forgot that she wanted hospice care?  Then that decision was obliously flawed.  I had to talk with her again about it to be sure.  It’s too important a point for me to be awkward about it.  I needed clarity.  In the morning I will talk with Satomi again.

After breakfast, I told her more information about the palliative care trouble we had the night before and used that as a segway into it, “…are you sure you want to go on hospice care?”  The answer was the same and we discussed it in more depth.  It was a conherent and thoughtful exchange but still definitely not pleasant.

With that, I am confident that she understood the merits and was in her right mind.  Unfortunately I am still not convinced of her motivation.  I needed more help to be sure.