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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, N ov em be r 7, 20 19 | 32 The foundation for a beautiful room. LAMINATE • HARDWOOD • VINYL CORK • CERAMIC • LVT • CARPET LAMINATE • HARDWOOD • VINYL CORK • CERAMIC • LCORK • CERAMIC • LVT • CARPETVT • CARPET LAMINATE • HARDWOOD • VINYLWOOD • VINYL Locally owned & operated by neighbours you've known & trusted for over 45 years! carpetone.com 26 Guelph St, Georgetown • 905-877-9896 RAMROCK ELECTRIC Div. of 429382 Ont. Ltd. 164 GUELPH ST., GEORGETOWN Serving Georgetown & Area 905-877-3661 ESA#7001548ramrock10@gmx.com Celebrating 40 years inbusiness All life comes to an end. As a family doctor who provides pallia- tive care, I'm acutely aware of that fact. Having cared for patients who are frail and elderly, I'm also aware that we are liv- ing longer than ever before. Many of us are living well into our 80s and 90s. Medi- cine can do a lot to prolong life. But it doesn't always mean that we should. More is not always better. As a society, we must be able to talk about not just what a good life looks like, but what a good death looks like. I'm not just talking about medical as- sistance in dying. I'm talking about when to stop life-prolonging treatment. When to refocus medicine on quality of life, not quantity. None of us knows when our time will come. But when life-threatening illness strikes, we have a choice: investigate and try and treat it, or focus our attention on comfort and time with loved ones while nature takes its course? This is an important consideration at any and all stages of our lives. In fact, my husband and I have had conversations around advance care planning. It becomes especially significant the older we grow. Each illness takes its toll. Each illness impacts overall quality of life. Patients do not return to what they were before their illnesses. I had the privilege of caring for a pa- tient who took the time to talk to his fami- ly about his life - and his death. This doesn't always happen. And it should. I en- courage you all to talk to your family and help them understand the kind of life you want to live, the extent of aggressive treat- ment that you want, and what a good death means for you. In fact, when my patient became sud- denly unresponsive, his daughters could speak up for him. After we discussed all the options, they told me that he would not want more done. Had I automatically sent him to the Emergency Department, he would have endured IVs, blood draws, chest x-rays, CT scans and other tests. Instead, he chose to stop. We focused on keeping him comfortable and pain-free. Giving him the dignified death that he wanted. This is what a good death looks like. Like I said, there is a lot that medicine can do nowadays. What that means needs due consideration by you and your family. For those looking for more guidance, check out www.advancecareplanning.ca. Nadia Alam is a Georgetown physi- cian and past president of the Ontario Medical Association. Her columns also appears on www.medium.com/@docsch- madia. She can be reached at na- dia.alam@oma.org. LET'S REFOCUS MEDICINE TO QUALITY OF LIFE OPINION FAMILIES SHOULD TALK ABOUT IT, WRITES NADIA ALAM NADIA ALAM Column