Have you made your end of life wishes known?

Advance Directive Forms I think most of us, due to the Schiavo case, have been discussing our end of life issues with our families. If you have not, now is a good time to sit down with your family and make your wishes known. This web site is an excellent resource.

Think about the following issues:
do I want drugs to try to revive me
do I want to be put on a ventilator (the proper name is ventilator, respirator is a mis-nomer)
do I want a feeding tube
do I want CPR
do I want comfort measures only (that means medications like morphine to keep you comfortable, medications for restlessness)
do I want hospice care

In other words, carefully consider your medical options. Some minimal things can be done to see if you will respond. However, if you have had a massive stroke or brain injury, or cancer, how much would you want done? Think about the end results...you can't be weaned (removed) from a ventilator, should your family turn it off? Should you have dialysis for kidney failure?

The section, "On Our Own Terms" in this article can help you think about those things.

Remember, the best all of us can do is to let our wishes be know to our family and friends, make them official, appoint someone to execute our wishes, and hope and pray that our wishes will be carried out.

Death with dignity should be the ultimate goal. Families need not bicker and squabble, they can rest assured that you have told them what you want, and can grieve accordingly.

A heart wrenching example, from my own experience:
An elderly man had an accident and drove into a tree. He broke his neck and was placed on a ventilator, and had life saving measures. He was fortunate to have all his faculties, and calmly told his family what he wanted, which was to be removed from life support systems. His family honored his wishes, and he died several hours later, with great dignity, with his family at his side.

Isn't that what most of us want? All it takes is for you to spend a few minutes or hours talking about this issue with your family, getting your paperwork in order, thus allowing your family the ability to agree and honor your decisions.
You can have an attorney draw up the necessary papers inexpensively as well. They would consist of a medical power of attorney and an advanced directive for medical care. The next step, let everyone know where the documentation is located, and perhaps even keep a copy in your purse or briefcase, just in case.