Hello again! I’ve been looking at the discussions posted on GRACE, and noticed that there have been quite a few references to both do not resuscitate (DNR) orders and living wills, so I thought I’d put my two cents in as well. Like Dr. West and Dr. Sanborn, I also have both of these completed, and have had for many years. There must be something connected to working in the health care field that makes us more aware of the need for such documents.
The most important aspect of thinking about having these instructions is to make certain that your wishes and desires about such issues as how aggressive you would want your care to be if you were declining to the point that you could not speak for yourself, whether you wish to have a funeral service or not, what you might want said about you and your life in a eulogy, and all of the end of life care decisions that may need to be determined. I would hope that any of you reading this column today have already completed these documents some time ago. It is always so much easier to think about these issues when you are not ill and struggling with treatment, but if you have not done so already, perhaps reading this will help crystallize your thoughts.
In many states, there is a document called POLST, which stands for Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. In Washington state, this is a bright green form that is intended for use by physicians to write orders that indicate what types of life-sustaining treatment you want or do not want at the end of life. The POLST form asks for information about: your preference for resuscitation; medical conditions; use of antibiotics; and artificially administered fluids and nutrition. The POLST form is voluntary and is intended to help you and your physician discuss and develop plans to reflect your wishes; to assist physicians, nurses, health care facilities, and emergency personnel in honoring your wishes for life-sustaining treatment; and to direct appropriate treatment by emergency medical services personnel. A physician must sign the form in order for it to be a physician order that is understood and followed by other health care professionals. The completed form is a physician order form that remains with you if you are transported between care settings, regardless of whether you are in the hospital, at home, or in a long-term care facility. The best thing about this form is that it basically requires the patient and his physician to discuss these situations together so that your intentions are clearly understood and honored by your physician.
Of course, even if you don’t live in a state where POLST forms are used, the links above can give you a great sense of the issues to be addressed. They may help you generate your own thoughts on these subjects and assist in writing your own DNR and living will documents. The decision to have written directives is a very personal one. The best way to make your wishes known is to put it in writing. Some people find it comforting to have written directives; they feel it eases the load of decision making for family and friends.
Some of you may have already completed documents such as the Advance Directives for Health Care, which are authorized in most states, and chosen a representative to act as your Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. If you have completed these documents, you should clearly discuss the ramifications of your decisions with the important people in your life: your spouse, your children, your physician, your health care representative, and your siblings. All too often, I have seen families disagree when their loved ones are dying, because they were not informed about the decisions made by that person when they were in a position to do so. Adult children who live far away often feel tremendous guilt because they were not there to be with their loved one as the disease progressed, and parents often do not inform their adult children as well as they might, in an attempt to shelter them from the truth (I suppose the protective parent instinct never goes away). This is why I feel it is so important to make a copy of the forms you sign to direct your health care and send them to your adult children, or at least discuss these directives with them.
Finally, I would just like to clarify what are considered life-sustaining treatments. There are several medical interventions that can lengthen a person’s life, delaying the moment of death. These are:
- cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): this may be inappropriate for certain patients such as those in the process of dying due to terminal illness, or those with an incurable illness, as its use would only lengthen the process of dying.
- respirator/ventilator: a ventilator may not be appropriate for a patient with a terminal illness, because the use of a ventilator may only prolong the process of dying. In addition, ventilators can be uncomfortable for the patient and often require that the patient be sedated in order for them to tolerate it. The decision to take a patient off a ventilator is extremely difficult for families to make — it is far easier not to put a patient on a ventilator in the first place if the patient has a terminal illness.
- artificial nutrition and hydration: when death is certain or there is no hope of for recovery, the use of artificial food and fluids may only prolong the process of dying. Generally, enough fluid is given to keep the patient as comfortable as possible.
Life-sustaining treatments do not include procedures or medication given to relieve pain. A decision to forego life-sustaining treatment will in no way affect the care given to provide comfort and reduce pain. Supportive care given for comfort and pain relief will always be provided. And remember, you may change or cancel a Health Care Directive or Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care at any time. Simply destroy the document, put your change in writing, and tell your doctor, nurse and family about the change. If you change the directive, give new copies to all of the important people involved.
As usual, I appreciate your comments, questions and any ideas you might have for another column!
Bye for now! Leah
