March 4, 2010
Advanced Directives
Do you have a Living Will? Do you have a Power of Attorney for Healthcare? Well, you should. Anytime someone is admitted to the hospital, we ask them if they have an Advanced Directive. Most women of childbearing age don't have this, and feel they are too young to think about end of life decisions, and who will make them if they are unable. By default, those decisions would fall onto the spouse and they think that said spouse will know what they would and wouldn't want done. In a situation like that, your family members are hurting, may be in denial, and may not know what you would want. Make it easy on them, put it in writing. I urge everyone, especially the young and healthy to think about what they would want done, to what extent they want their life extended if they are in a situation that they can't make that decision themselves. Think about it. No one plans on the unthinkable, but the unthinkable can and does happen. Here is a very poignant post as to why you should think about this.
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3 comments:
I have a healthcare directive. My husband went home while I was in early labor, and brought it back to the hospital. I think that may have jinxed me since I ended up with three life-threatening obstetrical complications after my daughter was born which rendered me incapable of making decisions for myself. However, the staff at least knew who I wanted to have making the decisions, and they knew my wishes about end of life care.
i do. something else people do not think about is organ donation. they think it is as easy as signing the back of your drivers license. it really is much more complicated and your spouse has to be in agreement. so everyone needs to know and understand the process
Advance directives and living wills are often neglected by people because of various reasons. For some they still don't see the need of these legal documents because they feel that they are too young to die. But there is a thing called ACCIDENTS. It can happen to anyone!
My childhood friend, Mae, recently signed a health care proxy in a law firm in Ottawa before her operation. She chose her dad to be her agent because she knows that he will respect her decision. The estate lawyers in Ottawa let her sign the documents because she chose not to have any life sustaining treatment in case of future problems. Fortunately, the operation was a success.
I believe that your post will surely open the eyes of people regarding advance directives and living wills.
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