Author Wishes She’d Asked for Palliative Care Years Earlier

Gayle Sheehy’s husband died of cancer after years of a slow demise. She’s written a book about the challenges of dealing with a loved one’s sickness called Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos Into Confidence.

Journalist Scott Eyman interviewed Sheehy and asked her, among other things, whether she would have done anything differently, looking back. Her response:

I might have tried to get him qualified for Medicaid. But I’m not sure that would have helped, because I wouldn’t have put him into a nursing home. It’s very difficult to get home care under Medicaid.

I know I would have called for palliative care at home two years earlier. If I’d known, it would have made a difference, because it’s those last two years of emergency rooms, hospitalizations, re-hospitalizations, and subpar rehab places, and back to the hospital – it was a horrible revolving door.

You can read the interview here: “Author Gail Sheehy Chronicles the Challenges of Caring for Her Dying Husband in ‘Passages.’” We also wrote about palliative care in this week’s post “Palliative Care Myths Even Some Doctors Believe.”