The Rich Die Differently From You And Me, Study Shows

[WhiteTara]

As if we didn't know, we funded a study just to make sure
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050710101547.htm

Wealthier elders are significantly less likely than poorer ones to suffer pain at the end of their lives, according to a University of Michigan study forthcoming in the August issue of the Journal of Palliative Medicine.

Specifically, men and women age 70 or older whose net worth was $70,000 or higher were 30 percent less likely than poorer people to have felt pain often during the year before they died. This difference persisted after the researchers controlled for age, gender, ethnicity, education and diagnosis.

snip

"Regardless of wealth, older Americans carry an unacceptable burden of suffering in their last year of life," said Maria Silveira, a physician at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, a research scientist at the U-M and the lead author of the study. "The older adults we studied who lived in the community suffered as much in their last year of life as do younger people who are severely ill and hospitalized."

There is more. As I read this, I had the flash that this could be a beginning bid for older people to kill themselves so "they wouldn't have to suffer". Or maybe so that won't take up more resources and somebody else gets their stuff ... oh I feel a :tinfoilhat: coming on!

[KT2000]

1. Your care depends on the type of insurance

those with assets probably have better supplemental health insurance so they are treated better.

I have seen what they consider acceptable pain management for the elderly (I think I will start carrying a gun in case I am ever in that situation.)
My friend was in seizures from pain for four hours before they administered the first pain medication. She had a badly broken hip. She was in hell for more than a month.

[lvx35]

2. I used to work in hospice care

And as I recall the poor folks got the same morphine drip everybody else did when it was the end. But up to that point, yeah, I know for a fact its worse. Its obviously worse.

[burrowowl]

3. One payer insurance!

Of course the wealthy wealthy will get what their family wants.
But Hospice for everyone and the basics under one-payer or universal healthcare is a must!
Time for hospice care by the relatives compensated by work or by universal healthcare. In France, one was at least paid minimum wage while caring for sick one. If you bought additional insurance, you could get almost your whole pay.