Elena, a 52-year-old woman with recurrent metastatic breast cancer, had been fighting cancer “on and off” for the past seven years. Her partner was also experiencing her own chronic, non-life-threatening health issues, including clinical depression, and her 30-year-old daughter had just taken three months of medical leave from her job to live at home during her mother’s illness.
Elena’s metastases worsened. She had come to accept the diagnosis and prognosis and discussed hospice care with her oncologist. With her daughter’s help, she had prepared a will and a health care power of attorney, but she wanted to make sure she was covering her bases.
With a patient advocate, Elena examined the limits of her insurance coverage for hospice care. She also discussed the pros and cons of listing her partner as her Power of Attorney because Elena believed she may not be thinking clearly enough to make decisions on her behalf, and that the burden may be too high. Elena and her daughter decided they would use the Pathways to Empowerment resource as a quick way to see if they should address any other issues as they prepare for Elena’s end of life.
