Comments or questions about hospice? Post them here.
More detail on living wills (which differ by state) can be found at these links:
Kentucky http://www.caringinfo.org/userfiles/File/Kentucky.pdf
Ohio http://www.caringinfo.org/UserFiles/File/Ohio.pdf
Indiana http://www.caringinfo.org/userfiles/File/Indiana.pdf
Remember that most important of all is talking to your family about your wishes. They can't help you if they don't know what you want.
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I think a living will is a great idea, but most people only complete one if they have a terminal illness, such as cancer. My aunt's living will, who died of cancer, specified that she did not want to be on "life support". She wanted the doctor's to try & save her but not go to extremes. Since my aunt expressed her wishes before her death, it gave my Grandparents a lot of comfort knowing that it was what she wanted & not a decision they were making for her.
ReplyDeleteHowever, people who have accidents that leave them on life support probably do not have living wills. This has made me think about the possiblility of writing one myself. I have two children & a husband & I wouldn't want them to live the rest of their lifes wondering if they made a decision that I would have agreed with.
I have two questions, one about hospice and one about living wills. If a patient wants to have a potentially harmful surgery which may end in his death, is he allowed to go through with it even if his hospice doctor advices him not to? The patient knows the risks and does not want to die but feels the surgery would help. The second question is about living wills. Can anyone in any circumstance override someone's living will? If so, in what circumstances? These may sound like dumb questions but I do not have any experience with hospice or living wills.
ReplyDeleteIf a patent wants a procedure to be done that the physician does not necessarily agree with and which may end in the patient's death, the patient has the right to have it done. However the physician will most likely explain to the patient that he does not think it is a good thing to have done. Also most patients in hospice have a mind set that they do not want agressive treatment but it is their right. A good example is a patient that I had. He was 92 years old and his POA wanted him to have surgery to repair his brain bleed. She really wanted the surgery done but the surgeon did not agree with it so he told her look we can either go to surgery and your father will most likely die on the table or you can make him a DNR and allow him to be comfortable and spend a few more days with him. Allow it sounds harsh thats what the surgeon will explain to the patient so they understand the severity of goingto surgery.
ReplyDeleteI also believe living wills are a great idea. My doctors office is a big supporter for them and has been informing me and my family on them for a few years now. While we have yet to fill them out in documentation, it did bring up the subject in my family and we have discussed a few of our wishes. My great-grandma become suddenly ill a few years back and she got to the point where she could no longer speak for herself. However it was my mom's idea to speak to her and my grandma about these issues before she became ill. While we did not have proper documentation, it was easier for my family to make what we felt were the right decisions because of my doctors office suggesting we all talk of these awkward and unusual circumstances. While the conversation at the time was very sad and hard to discuss, I realized only after my great-grandma's death that the conversation made dealing with her death easier in knowning that we honored her wishes as how to handle her medical treatment.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know when my doctor first brought up the idea of writing a living will myself, I thought he was crazy!! I thought this was a topic he should discuss with his older patients, not me who was only 16 at the time. However, thinking of this now, accidents happen everyday and diseases hit people of all ages. Death is not something just for the old. While I still haven't written one I do think it is a good idea for people of all ages to consider their wishes and at least vocalize them to their loved ones.
I think that a living will is a great idea. If you want to be sure that your things are in exact order according to your wishes, the best way to assure this is to have an official living will that outlines your wishes. I also think that hospice is a wonderful institution. For terminal situations, hospice care is a great opportunity for patients to receive the end of life care that they see necessary. It is also a great opportunity for people who may not have anyone else to take care of them.
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