Interview of Dr. William Dale on End-Of-Life Medical Choices: Philosophy in Action Podcast of 28 November 2012

I interviewed Dr. William Dale on "End-Of-Life Medical Choices" on 28 November 2012. Listen to or download this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio below.

Many people struggle with difficult decisions about complex medical problems as they near the end of their lives. That time is wrenching for family too. How can people make good decisions about medical care? What mistakes should they try to avoid? How can people prepare for that future now?

Dr. William Dale is a geriatrician at The University of Chicago Medicine with a doctorate in health policy and extensive experience in oncology. He has devoted his career to the care of older adults with cancer – particularly prostate cancer. Dr. Dale has a special interest in the identification and treatment of vulnerable older patients who have complex medical conditions, including cancer. He is actively researching the interactions of cancer therapies with changes associated with aging.

Tags: Adult Children, Communication, Conflict, Death, Emotions, Family, Health, Introspection, Law, Medicine, Rationality, Values

Note: This was one of my favorite episodes ever, because I learned so much more than I expected. I recommend that you invite your spouse, siblings, parents, and adult children to listen to it with you, and then talk about these difficult issues with them.

Listen or Download

Duration: 59:09
Download: MP3 File (13.6 MB)

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About the Podcast

The topics covered in this episode were:

Dr. Dale's work
End-of-life challenges for the patient
End-of-life challenges for others
The choice of more versus less treatment
Doctors telling patients the whole truth
What patients can do to get more and better information
Patients' regrets about treatment
The importance of knowing one's own preferences
Dealing with family problems
Living will versus power of attorney
Talking to the person with your power of attorney
The emotions of dealing with death
Being a supportive and reasonable family member
Conflicts between in-town-and out-of-town family
Conflicts in the family over care
The "five stages of grief"
Differences between ethnic groups about end-of-life care

Relevant Links

How Doctors Die by Dr. Ken Murray

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I'm Dr. Diana Brickell. I'm a philosopher specializing in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase in paperback and Kindle. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck."

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