Political Quotes

“Recently, the Reverend Billy Graham, in his latest book, talked about the situation that families face in the difficult circumstances surrounding end of life. Reverend Graham said: Refusing to act on the practical issues that confront us as we grow older or simply ignoring them often becomes a sure recipe for turmoil and conflict within a family. Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who was a physician long before he entered politics, said in an op-ed that appeared in one of the Capitol Hill publications: In the absence of advanced care planning, patients are much more likely to receive medical interventions that can actually prolong or worsen their suffering and will certainly increase expense for their loved ones. Yesterday, I had an opportunity to work with the American Society of Oncology, who gave us further evidence. They have a report and recommendations that are coming forward that I think ought to be commended to each and every one of us. They pointed out that palliative care is not an either/or choice in terms of therapies. They found in one study that people who receive both palliative care and chemotherapy lived 3 months longer and more comfortably than people who just got the medical intervention. Additionally, further in their study, they pointed out that it isn't just the patient; it is the people who help serve ill patients who receive palliative care therapy. They suffer less emotional stress.…”