Kate Elkins is one of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and 911
One of the basic expectations the public have of doctors is honesty. But what would you think if I told you that research has shown that 70 percent of doctors admitted to lying to their patients? It is inexcusable, surely? Extremely unprofessional and uncaring; a clear break of the doctor-patient relationship. Some of the lies told included reassuring patients that their wives or husbands were still alive, when in fact they were dead. This seems unimaginable but, if I am honest, I have told exactly the same lie to several patients whose spouses had died. Mrs. Walton was in her eighties and desperate to see her husband. She’d been in hospital after a fall and was in pain. She called out for him frequently and couldn’t understand why he wasn’t there to comfort her. She was becoming more and more distressed and would try to get up to find him, despite being at risk of falling again.
“He’s on his way, don’t worry,” the nurses would say and this would calm her down. I confess I said the same thing to her. She’d smile and roll her eyes and say how he was always late for things and tell the same story about him being late for their wedding nearly 60 years ago. But he wasn’t on his way. It was a lie. He’d died two years ago. The truth, if I can use that word, is that it is a kindness to lie sometimes.
Part of the natural history of many of the dementias, in particular Alzheimer’s disease which is what Mrs. Walton had, is that the sufferer loses their short-term memory and the memory of recent events, but retains memories from the distant past. Sufferers are trapped forever in a bewildering past that many realise bares little connection to the present, but are at a loss to explain. It is very distressing and tormenting and many of the behavioural difficulties that I have encountered in those with dementia relate to them feeling upset, scared and confused that they are in a strange place, surrounded by strange people, even when they are in their own homes surrounded by their family, because they have returned back to decades ago.
They look at their adult children confused and wonder who they could be because they think their children are still toddlers. How does one deal with this? I have had countless families break down in tears in outpatient clinics or on wards, not knowing what to say or how to react as their loved one moves further and further away from them back into their distant past and they are left behind in the present. And how, as the doctor or nurse caring for these patients, does one manage the anger and outbursts of distress that comes with having no knowledge of your life for the past 10 or 20 years? The lies that doctors, nurses, carers and families tell these patients are not big, elaborate lies — they are brief reassurances intended to calm and allow the subject to be swiftly changed.
Colluding (串通) with them about this false reality they find themselves flung into is not heartless or unprofessional — it is, when done in the right way, kind and tender-hearted. That’s not to say that lying to patients with dementia unnecessarily is right or defensible or that there are not times when of course they have the right to know the truth. But what compassionate person would put another human being through the unimaginable pain of learning, for the first time again and again, repeatedly throughout the day, that their beloved one has died. It would be an unthinkable cruelness.
Sometimes, surely, honesty is simply not the best policy.
1. Write a title for this article.2. Why do people with dementia feel upset, scared, and confused even when they are in their own homes surrounded by their family?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
The public expect doctors to be honest with their patients and the author also believes that it is heartless and unprofessional to lie to patients.
4. The author says sometimes, surely, honesty is simply not the best policy. Do you agree or disagree? Why? (In about 40 words)
A group doctors,
4 . A 96-year-old woman, believed to be the oldest working nurse in the country, has retired from Tacoma. Washington, hospital.
Last week, Florence Rigney, better known to her friends as “SeeSee”, retired as a nurse MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital after over 70 years. Throughout her career — which began as student nurse, Rigney worked consistently, only taking a “break” from nursing to raise her two children.
Working as a nurse has kept Rigney very active. She's traveled across the country as an operatic nurse and even logged up to three miles on her treadmill from walking during her shifts. “I don't like to around — I've always got to have something to do. That's my nature,” Rigney said in a statement, adding that she always wanted to become a nurse. “I love to interact with patients and give them the help that I can.”
Rigney planned on retiring once at age 65, but after six months, she decided that she needed the job to stay active and keep her mind sharp. Now as she officially retired, the hospital noted that Rigney planned on spending most of her time enjoying family and friends. “Even working into her nineties she has never been one to slow down. Some of her colleagues joked that they had to sprint to keep up with her,” said Laureen Driscoll, president of the hospitals. “SeeSee's continued to be a dedicated nurse and an incredible resource to her colleagues and community. It's humbling to stop and think about the thousands and thousands of lives she's cured for. Everyone at MultiCare thanks Rigney for her unmatched dedication and service, and we're proud to honor her by supporting tomorrow's future nurses,” she continued.
As she said goodbye to her beloved job, Rigney offered some advice for other nurses. “Don't ever think that you know it all.” she noted in the release. “I kind of did that when I was in the operating room and you have to always be open. You never stop learning.”
In her honor, the hospital announced the creation of its SeeSee Rigney Nursing Endowed Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarships for MultiCare employees for continued learning and development in nursing.
1. Rigney continued working at age 65 because she ______.| A．needed to support her family | B．wanted to stay energetic and sharp |
| C．hoped to show her personal value | D．intended to promote nurse training |
| A．Remain confident. | B．Care for each other. |
| C．Keep active and patient. | D．Stay hungry for knowledge. |
| A．old age and good health | B．quick mind and great creativity |
| C．positive attitude and hard work | D．high position and good resource |
