{"id":2096,"date":"2013-01-24T09:01:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-24T09:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/catholics-call-end-of-life-care-central-to-pro-life-mission\/"},"modified":"2013-01-24T09:01:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-24T09:01:00","slug":"catholics-call-end-of-life-care-central-to-pro-life-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/01\/catholics-call-end-of-life-care-central-to-pro-life-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"Catholics call end-of-life care central to pro-life mission"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Denver, Colo., Jan 24, 2013 \/ 02:01 am (CNA<\/a>).- Catholic healthcare providers and legal professionals in the Denver region convened to share the importance of end-of-life care as a necessary part of a pro-life worldview.<\/p>\n

\tMark Skender of Divine Mercy Supportive Care, Inc. reminded the more than 60 people in attendance at the Colorado Catholic Medical Association\u2019s Jan. 16 meeting that being pro-life means protecting life from conception to natural death.<\/p>\n

\tUnfortunately, he noted, today there is \u201cnot a whole lot of natural death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tDivine Mercy Supportive Care, Inc., a group of medical and legal professionals who aim to \u201cdeliver medical, supportive and spiritual end of life services consistent with the Catholic standard of care to anyone who desires it,\u201d presented information to help Catholics achieve the best care possible as they approach the end of life in a way.<\/p>\n

\tAlthough hospice care consists of \u201cmany caring and compassionate providers,\u201d the group saw a great need to offer care for Catholics that is consistent with Church teaching while providing the \u201cvery best medical services.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSkender highlighted the importance of hospice care while dispelling common myths about it, noting that it is not a kind of \u201cdeath sentence\u201d as many people may believe.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhat keeps people out is misconception that it's a death sentence, when in fact, if used properly it can be a way to prepare for death and solidify family relationships,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tDeacon Alan Rastrelli, who serves as the organization\u2019s medical director, noted that the average time in hospice care is only about two weeks even though it is designed for those who have six months or less to live. His role with the organization is to help patients sooner than that to prepare them better for death.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe mindset of American culture is that if you can\u2019t cure that, something is wrong,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tHowever, as a patient ages and as disease continues to progress, a patient\u2019s base level of health is deteriorated. Eventually, no matter how good the care that the patient receives is, he pointed out, they will die.<\/p>\n

\tBy helping arrange Catholic hospice or other forms of end of life care, Deacon Rastrelli said that people can be more comfortable with the knowledge that \u201ceventually we will reach that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSean Murphy of the Twilight Brigade, a group of trained volunteers dedicated to visiting terminally ill patients in veteran\u2019s hospitals and hospices, lifted the mood by reminding the crowd that simply \u201cbeing born\u201d is the \u201cnumber one cause of death.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tOften times people will look at the extreme example of Terri Schiavo and say \u201cI don\u2019t want that to happen,\u201d but are not aware of where to begin the process of how they wish to be cared for at the end of their life, Jim Evans, as estate planning attorney in the Denver region, said.<\/p>\n

\tHe discussed the importance of creating an advance planning directive, which is the outline of one\u2019s preferences for medical treatment, especially towards the end of life.<\/p>\n

\tTo assist them in the process, his organization has compiled a list of options based on the National Catholic Biomedical Center\u2019s standards of care that a patient can choose, as many people are unsure of what they are able to request.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Denver, Colo., Jan 24, 2013 \/ 02:01 am (CNA).- Catholic healthcare providers and legal professionals in the Denver region convened to share the importance of end-of-life care as a necessary part of a pro-life worldview.<\/p>\n

\tMark Skender of Divine Mercy …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nCatholics call end-of-life care central to pro-life mission<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Denver, Colo., Jan 24, 2013 \/ 02:01 am (CNA).- Catholic healthcare providers and legal professionals in the Denver region convened to share the importance of end-of-life care as a necessary part of a pro-life worldview. 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