Friday, June 21, 2024

Philanthropy - Just another form of the Daughter from California syndrome?


"Daughter from California" syndrome is a phrase used in the American medical profession to describe a situation in which a hitherto disengaged relative challenges the care a dying elderly patient is being given, or insists that the medical team pursue aggressive measures to prolong the patient's life. In California, the "Daughter from California" is known as the "Daughter from New York"; the "Daughter from Ontario" is a Canadian variant. The "Daughter from California" is often described as angry, articulate, and uninformed.

Further:

Medical professionals say that because the "Daughter from California" has been absent from the life and care of the elderly patient, they are frequently surprised by the scale of the patient's deterioration, and may have unrealistic expectations about what is medically feasible. They may feel guilty about having been absent, and may therefore feel motivated to reassert their role as an involved caregiver. In his 2015 book The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-Life Care, American physician Angelo Volandes ascribes this to "guilt and denial", "not necessarily what is best for the patient"

Is almost all philanthropy just a dressed up version of the Daughter from California.  Emotional insistence that the donor knows best without either knowledge or skin in the game.  Actions driven by their emotional self-tending rather than the welfare of the beneficiary.  




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