Let's talk openly with our loved ones about dying, says Labrador doctor

A doctor in Labrador is urging more families to talk about end-of-life care while they're healthy, so family members aren't left guessing about any decisions.

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"Death is a certainty ... and I think that we are not the greatest in talking about it," said Dr. Margo Wilson, a family physician at the Labrador Health Centre.

"So I really wanted to do this to start that conversation about what happens at the end of life."

Wilson is one of three medical professionals leading a discussion on the topic Wednesday night at the O'Brien Arts Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

'What does it mean be put on life support?'

Often, Wilson said, people don't fully understand the ramifications of certain medical manoeuvres, including CPR and life support.

"Medically, we used to do all these things for people and now people stepped back and said, 'I wouldn't want that. I would not want that for my family member and you should ask me about it,'" she told CBC's Labrador Morning.

"So now, we're beginning to ask people what their wishes are in considering those things for these really high-level interventions."

Wilson saidit happens "all the time" where shewill ask family members of patients what would their loved oneswant, and they simply don't know.

"It's a very hard thing to talk about for a lot of people and it's very emotional and when you're doing it when someone's in hospital or sick, it becomes all that more difficult," she said.

"Have that conversation when you're well with your family."

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