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                                     Planning for the Future-A Living Will Update
                                           Author:   Published : 1 January, 1970, 08:00




What if you suffered a traumatic brain injury or a heart attack and resulted in a hospital intensive care with
little hope of get your old way of life, or even the ability to communicate with your loved ones? What kind of
medical treatment would you choose for yourself? Would you aggressive medical intervention?

Obviously, these situations are most people prefer not to contemplate while they are in good health. Yet a
number of high-profile legal cases have recently arisen such circumstances. These ethical conflicts and
controversies of the end-of-life care to stress how difficult it can be for families and health professionals to
make life or death for those who decisions are no longer physically capable of speak for themselves.

A living will, and his cousin, the power of attorney of health care, are legal documents called advance
directives designed to help in such situations. They allow individuals to express their values and personal
preferences for medical treatment in advance of a serious health crisis that leaves them unable to say what
kind of medical care they want.

Care planning, however, is a generic term for the broader process of exploring these issues through personal
reflection and conversations with the people closest to you and your doctor. Because of the controversial
cases that have been encountered in the past, such as that of Terri Schiavo, states have passed laws
defining the types of legal documents that could be recognized by health professionals in a crisis situation.

However, most medical ethicists say today that a document proxy health care, formally appointing someone
who can speak on your behalf if you are unable, is more likely to be useful in the context of crisis as a living
will. The reason is that his life will, which specifies what kind of treatment you would like unknown future in
some cases, may become outdated and too restrictive. A power of attorney is healthcare immediate and
therefore more flexible.

More importantly, however, whether legal document is the process of examining what matter most to you in
such a crisis, and then share those thoughts with the person you want to speak for you. Sound that person;
could they respect and honor your values?

A copy of your advance directive document, in order to capture your values and preferences examined on
paper, should also be returned to your family doctor. There may be additional resources that your doctor may
recommend to assist the process, as the reference to advance care planning consultant or a palliative care
consultation services based at the hospital or the health of your system .

Experts insist that it is important to give your family and doctors to work with something. If they have a certain
understanding of your paper and values ultimately what is most important to you in a difficult situation, which
could prove to be an enormous relief for them and the best chance to ensure that your values and your
preferences really honoured.

This article was written by Larry Beresford and provided by http://www.getpalliativecare.org




GENERATED : 1 January, 2009, 03:30                                                                     Page 1 of 1