Betrayed by Hospice and Healthcare: Stories from the Deathbed shares more than 30 tales of horror as told by those who witnessed beloved family members being put to death for a variety of reasons. Some were the victims of a family at odds with each other regarding how to handle the situation. Others detail the machinations of healthcare providers who told the family one thing and then did the opposite.
Author Marsha Joiner arrived at the decision to write this book after the tragic events that surrounded the death of her own mother, who, she says, was taken too soon.
The book explores the steps that are often taken to hasten death without the knowledge or consent of loved ones; this leads to a chilling awareness of how callous and cold-hearted some caregivers can become, both within hospital settings and within the home. For example, the story of Rebecca Stevens’ death struck me personally, as my husband suffered from COPD, as she did, though in his case he passed at home, surrounded by family and loving nurses. Rebecca’s case was totally different.
Joiner described the end of Rebecca’s life, writing, “Dayna squeezed her mother’s hand out of love, but it woke her up and as she saw what they were going to do to her and started shaking her head ‘no!’ the nurse inject[ed] the vials into her helpless but alive body. They turned the oxygen off and Rebecca struggled to breathe.” She wrote that the nurse then left the room and returned approximately an hour later and “injected more drugs.”
Rebecca died “due to a severe drug overdose” soon after.
Throughout the book’s more than 30 cases of death, Joiner explains scenarios like this one, the drugs used, and the actions taken to hasten death. Betrayed by Hospice and Healthcare is a shocking and detailed account of what can occur when loved ones are entrusted to healthcare professionals who are committed to end-of-life practices that are anything but ethical. But she also reminds us that, in some cases, family members can be involved in these deadly decisions in ways that are both stealthy and evil.
While this book could have greatly benefited from an editor, it is beyond a doubt one of the most insightful, medically documented collections of stories that I have ever seen. It is obvious that Joiner’s personal experiences with the devastating death of her own mother inspired her to tell the world to watch out when a loved one is dying. Throughout the pages of her book, Joiner shines light into the abyss of many end-of-life care scenarios. We commend her for that and thank her for the great effort she expended to share these stories with the public.
Facebook Comments