While it’s true that the vast majority of people who use hospice care at the end of their lives are older adults, increasingly families are also using that same network of support and resources for young children suffering from terminal illnesses as well.
In his interview with the Spy, Talbot Hospice’s medical director Michael Tooke talks movingly about the special demands and circumstances of young families with dying children who have sought out hospice care, and the important role it plays with parents, siblings, classmates, and the community as a whole.
Prior to joining Talbot Hospice, Dr. Tooke had been the chief medical officer at UM Shore Regional Health for more than a decade before retiring in July 2013. A native of Louisiana, with degrees from Vanderbilt and Tulane, Tooke has always shown a special interest in end-of-life care for terminally ill patients, and, in particular, the needs of children. In his new role with Talbot Hospice, he is leading the way to promote the use of hospice care for those children to ease the unspeakable pain that comes with the death of a young person at the beginning of life rather than the end of one.
This video is approximately eight minutes in length
Patti Willis says
Well and compassionately done, Dr. Tooke…