Reporter Ashleigh Gleeson, writing in the Newcastle Herald (May 27, 2014) reminds us yet again about the tendency for families to expect the medical profession to work miracles at the end of life.   She writes:

By the time people got to intensive care, however, it was too late.  Often the reality of death was not acknowledged until the very end.  ‘‘There’s no time for preparation or putting your affairs in order,’’ says intensive care specialist Dr Peter Saul. Hunter New England practice development officer for end-of-life care, Lisa Shaw, agreed the management of death was an issue. She said there was reluctance among nurses and doctors to sit down and talk to families about the reality of the patient dying.  Read the full story at: http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2311597/hospitals-badly-prepared-to-care-for-dying/?cs=2373