This is something that I see rather often in my career and I wanted to pass along one very important thing that I've learned over the years -
please be sure that you have a will or an advanced directive in place. PLEASE do this. Have that difficult conversation about what steps you want taken to save your life. Do you want chest compressions? Do you want a tube inserted in your airway to assist you in breathing? Do you want heroic measures to be taken even if they may not save your live? Do you want to be placed on a mechanical ventilator?
The reality is that many people don't have these conversations and then something happens to them and there is legally no way to abide by their spoken wishes. Your wishes need to be written down. Contact an attorney. Put an advanced directive on file. Your local hospital may be able to help. In many states, there are "out of hospital DNR" forms that we MUST have in order to terminate resuscitation efforts should it come to that. In other words, if you collapse, someone calls 911, and there is no paperwork, we are legally required to start life saving resuscitation measures and continue them.
without legal documentation, things get really sticky, and it gets even worse if family is involved. Like someone else noted, the "daughter from California syndrome" is very real.
the difficult conversations about your end of life issues may be the most important ones you ever have.
When it’s my time to go, I want to go. All of this trauma caused to family members isn’t worth it. This seems like a desperate attempt to save something that will end regardless of your actions. Property goes to the immediate next of kin in the absence of a will. A will is almost next to useless.
please be sure that you have a will or an advanced directive in place. PLEASE do this. Have that difficult conversation about what steps you want taken to save your life. Do you want chest compressions? Do you want a tube inserted in your airway to assist you in breathing? Do you want heroic measures to be taken even if they may not save your live? Do you want to be placed on a mechanical ventilator?
The reality is that many people don't have these conversations and then something happens to them and there is legally no way to abide by their spoken wishes. Your wishes need to be written down. Contact an attorney. Put an advanced directive on file. Your local hospital may be able to help. In many states, there are "out of hospital DNR" forms that we MUST have in order to terminate resuscitation efforts should it come to that. In other words, if you collapse, someone calls 911, and there is no paperwork, we are legally required to start life saving resuscitation measures and continue them.
without legal documentation, things get really sticky, and it gets even worse if family is involved. Like someone else noted, the "daughter from California syndrome" is very real.
the difficult conversations about your end of life issues may be the most important ones you ever have.