X-Message-Number: 8619 Date: Sat, 20 Sep 1997 20:04:42 -0400 From: "Stephen W. Bridge" <> Subject: Cryonics hospices To CryoNet >From Steve Bridge September 20, 1997 [ I hope that someone can forward this to sci.cryonics for me. SWB] In reply to: Message #8612 From: "William R. Cousert" <> Newsgroups: sci.cryonics Subject: Hospice care at cryonics facilities Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 14:11:28 -0700 > It seems to me that it should be possible to operate a hospice at > cryonics facilities. This would allow the terminally ill to be quickly >suspended after death. Why isn't this being done? > >William R. Cousert > Several CryoNet readers are no doubt having grim recollections of the one time this ever happened, William. Back in 1987, Saul Kent's mother Dora was moved to Alcor a day or so before her death for exactly the practical reason of a better suspension. Unfortunately several legal issues arose, including the possibility of a conflict of interest -- the local coroner speculated that Alcor's interest in Mrs. Kent being dead was greater than its interest in keeping her alive. Alcor personnel were investigated on suspicion of hastening her death, and all hell broke loose on California cryonics for several years. The full story is long and interesting, and also damn frightening for the people involved at the time; even frightening for me, who was only involved in making dozens of phone calls for the few months after the emergency began. We're not likely to make that kind of move again without extremely careful legal preparation. There are many practical reasons for not having a true hospice in the facility as well. Typical better care can actually be given in a rented apartment or regular hospice facility nearby, and this has been tried on occasion. Moreover, the logistics of moving a patient to another state when he is terminally ill can be nightmarish. As one example we have found -- unless the patient is very wealthy, he may be tied to his home state by the need to maintain medical insurance (or HMO coverage). Steve Bridge Chairman of the Board Alcor Life Extension Foundation Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8619