Knowledgeable Aging

Resources for the Aging Population

End of Life

Let’s not be afraid to tackle a tough topic.
It will happen to you. Or to someone you love.
You’re going to be in the hospital for some reason…and maybe you won’t be able to talk or reason intelligently.
Perhaps you got knocked out cold in an accident…or you’ve got a fever and you aren’t in your right mind…or some illness has rendered you unable to communicate.
Whatever the reason, you’re not able to make your wishes known.

In that situation, whom do you want making decisions for you?
A loved one who cares about your wellbeing? A hospital bureaucrat or a government agent who doesn’t know you? Overworked doctors and nurses with too many patients, trying to do the right thing but not knowing how or who to speak to?

While Americans today strive to control nearly every aspect of their lives, many of us abandon control of life’s final passage. But there’s no reason not to.
The realities of 21st century medicine allow most of us to be empowered in these situations. Unfortunately, most Americans are not taking the simple, free steps that allow this to happen.
The implications for us personally, for respect for our own individual values, and for our loved ones are primary, but there are legal and economic aspects as well.

Dan Morhaim, M.D., provides practical guidance to this challenging and universal topic, one we tend to avoid but ought not to. Dan’s perspective comes from his 40+ years as a front-line ER doctor, 24 years as a state legislator, and as a public health advocate. He’ll draw on those experiences with true-life stories and up-to-date medical and legal information to make the case that advance care planning is a necessity for every adult American and that every element of the healthcare system has a key role to play. The cost is none; the benefits are manifold.
Dan brings a lively and engaging speaking style with his experience in media and before a broad range of audiences including community organizations, professional groups, and in political settings.

Listen to the Podcast

  • 3:17 – My background
  • 5:40 – Prepare a medical go-bag
  • 8:01 – Why routine advance care planning
  • 11:23 – Choosing a health care agent
  • 12:24 – What kind of care do you want (everything, middle path or allow natural death A.N.D.)
  • 17:50 – Not just for old people
  • 20:57 – Advance directive sources
  • 21:51 – After death (organ donation, cemetery, cremation and green burials)
  • 25:05 – La Crosse, Wisconsin
  • 26:39 – What’s your role?
  • 31:05 – Questions
Dan Morhaim, M.D.

Dan Morhaim, M.D. brings a unique perspective: Physician, state legislator, academic, author, consultant. As an emergency medicine physician, he’s been on the front lines of health care for over 40 years, including 13 years (1981-1994) as Chair of Emergency Medicine at Franklin Square Hospital (Maryland). After his election to the Maryland General Assembly in 1994, he joined the ER Team at Baltimore’s Sinai Hospital where he continues on staff. He was a physician volunteer for 3 years at a Baltimore homeless clinic and served on its Board, and he’s also worked on the Navajo Indian Reservation. As a state legislator, he served in the Maryland House of Delegates for 24 years (1995-2019), enacting 139 bills on a broad range of topics with a focus on healthcare, environment, public safety, and procurement reform. He has been and continues to be on numerous boards and committees including serving now as Chair of the Baltimore County Behavioral Health Advisory Council. He brings a clinical perspective to EagleForce, a health information technology company, and he is the medical director for commercial ambulance companies. As faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (16 years) he taught public policy, and his research on advance care planning led to numerous articles and two books: the first book in 2011 and his second in 2020 (“Preparing for A Better End, www.thebetterend.com) both from Johns Hopkins Press. The books have earned endorsements from a diverse group of distinguished people including Maya Angelou, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Dr. Leon McDougle, Dr. Leana Wen, and others from the medical, academic, faith, and business communities.

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