Health Mary Mata July 26, 2011

Living Wills Are Important, Especially If You’re Not Sick

Do not wait until a medical crisis to discuss a living will with your family. A living will, or advanced directive as it is sometimes called, is a legal document that describes certain life prolonging treatments. You, the patient, indicate which treatments you do or do not want applied to you in the event you either suffer from a terminal illness or are in a permanent vegetative state.

A living will does not become effective unless you are incapacitated; until then, you will be able to say what treatments you do or don’t want. This document should be executed while you’re healthy and on “top of your game.” If you haven’t already done so, make plans to meet with your family to discuss how you would like to live out your life as you grow older. This article is specifically addressed to those who already have a living will.

“Living wills” are not as clear-cut as we’re led to believe.

Many of us mistakenly assume that our end-of-life wishes will be followed down to the word, as expressed in a living will. The idea of a living will may sound like you have control over what happens to you if you temporarily or permanently can’t make medical decisions for yourself, but in practice it’s not so clear cut. A healthcare agent, proxy, surrogate or power of attorney has the authority to speak to the doctor on behalf of the patient who is unable to voice his or her own wishes. This is the person we name, or on a document separate from the living will (for example, a medical power of attorney), who decides what kind of medical treatment or care we would want if we were unable to make our wishes known.

Generally, however, the living will alone is not enough to give a direct order about treatment. Think of it more as a primary guideline.

Patient who have written what his or her wishes are have no way of anticipating the exact situation that they actually find themselves in. Treatment decisions in a living will usually represent underlying values and goals, but ultimately it’s up to the healthcare agent — especially in states like New York, where the healthcare agent gets a lot of authority — to make a decision.

A person who’s thinking about end-of-life-planning has many things to think about in crafting a living will. What if the patient has to be put on a respirator temporarily? What if the patient develops dementia or stroke and can’t perform basic functions? What does he or she want to happen upon falling into a coma — and what if doctors aren’t sure if the patient will wake up? These are important questions to ask yourself.

Remember, your doctor isn’t the only one who should have a copy of your advance directive. Give one to your healthcare agent, your neighbors, and other relatives. There are also living will registries available online such as the U.S. Living Will Registry and Google Health.

Be smart and take the time to discuss your end-of-life wishes. Our ICUs are filled with patients on life support with no hope of ever leading a normal life.

References:

Jeff Kreisberg, Ph.D. is a healthcare consultant and author of the book “Taking Control of Your Healthcare.” If you need assistance with your healthcare needs, visit Jeff  on his website and follow his blog, Taking Control of Your Healthcare. Follow Jeff on Twitter @kreisberg.

[Photo By arriba]

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