As people begin to grasp their own mortality, they develop strong feelings about which medical procedures they are willing to undergo in order to stay alive. Many individuals discuss their feelings about life-support, feeding tubes, and other life-sustaining procedures, with their spouses and family members. Many of these people, however, do not take the time to express their wishes in writing.
Creating a health care directive, along with a Provider Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST), can help ensure an individual’s wishes are followed.
a new trend
Oregon and La Crosse, WI, have adopted the document as standard practice. As a result, fewer individuals are dying in ways they never wanted, such as hooked up to life support machines. According to this recent article, Minnesota health care agencies are making a concerted effort to help patient with end of life planning. The documents will be flagged in individual’s medical files so personnel can easily find them. Allina Health Systems plans to talk to at least 4,000 patients this year about end of life planning.
family discussions
Health providers, however, cannot do it on their own. Families need to initiate the discussions with loved ones, and take the additional step of ensuring a person’s wishes are in writing. Some individuals in the health care field are acutely aware of the problem. According to Dr. Steven Miles, ”We basically have an ongoing non-discussion on the topic of end-of-life planning . . . [u]ntil families talk about it, it doesn’t make any difference how you rearrange the bureaucracy.”
There is nothing easy about initiating this conversation with loved ones. But if there is any doubt about how a family member wishes to spend their final days, it is a discussion that should take place now. If your family member drafts a health care directive, make sure you have a copy, or know where to find it. If you have any questions about what forms you need, or how to fill them out, be sure to contact a health care provider or attorney in your state.
(photo: Johann !)
Related posts:
- Do you know where your parents will is?
- Why Hospice Care Matters
- The importance of health care directives
Randall Ryder is consumer rights attorney in Minnesota, where he suesabusive debt collectors and is a publisher of Elder Parent Help.