Roundtable brings issue of chronic illness into the light

Except to excuse themselves from Finance or Biology class, most students don't think too much about chronic illness.

However, chronic illness is a serious issue becoming more and more important as the baby boomer generation transitions into retirement, as noted last night at a symposium moderated by Arthur Caplan, director of Penn's Center for Bioethics.

Caplan noted that many people have the "Who the heck cares?" mentality about chronic illness.

"We should anticipate the likelihood of chronic illness... by talking about it," Caplan said.

"We're a society that paces in front of the microwave, we don't like things that last," said Rev. John Ehman from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania's pastoral care unit, in explaining the increasing confusion over issues involving incurable illnesses.

The symposium highlighted the importance of public awareness and education about chronic illness.

Close to 70 people, including students, health care professionals, religious personnel and other community members, turned out for the roundtable, which lasted an hour and a half.

"We have to be better informed and comfortable in making our own decisions" when faced with moral dilemmas like assisted suicide, said Bernard Bloom from HUP Geriatrics.

Children, parents and grandparents will face issues involving chronic illness, and the public needs to become more aware of their choices, panelists noted at the event.

Caplan said politicians and people in leadership roles, like aging Sen. Strom Thurmond, should use their clout to raise awareness.

Participants said that people must start to question their own final days.

"Is our only value in preserving quantity of life or are we going to start to think about quality of life?" HUP Ethics Committee Member Horace DeLisser said.

While the provocative views flowed nonstop, panelists welcomed the breadth of ideas.

Ehman said public debate often forces complex issues to be "simplified" and "sanitized". With an issue like prolonging life, it "presses us to demand that we deal with the sticky complexity of the problem" by openly expressing personal views.

Many students attended on their own volition out of personal interest in the topic, and not from any professorial prodding.

Physician and Medical School student Christa Farnon said "everyone in our society is touched by aging of the elderly."

And 2001 College graduate Constantin Friedman added that "even college educated Americans have no idea of what's really going on."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.