End of Life Planning. What is a POLST? What is Palliative Care, Hospice Care and Curative Care? With Pat Deegan RN - Episode 13

In this podcast, Diane Carbo interviews Pat Deegan, an end-of-life specialist, to discuss the importance of healthcare directives and end-of-life planning. The conversation begins with an explanation of life-sustaining measures and curative care. Life-sustaining measures are medical treatments intended to prolong life rather than treat an underlying condition, while curative care aims to cure disease or promote recovery. The conversation then shifts to POLST (Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment), a portable medical order form that communicates a patient's wishes as medical orders, which is more specific than an advanced directive. It is important to have a POLST available wherever the patient goes, so that their wishes can be followed in the event of an emergency. The podcast emphasizes that end-of-life planning is an evolving process that changes as people age and develop illnesses, and that the medical jargon surrounding it can be confusing.