re: Living Will - To Give Up or to be a Burden?

I recently discussed this matter with my attorney who was drawing up my will. I mentioned a living will, however, I also told him why I was against one. I had an elderly friend who was in the hospital after suffering a stroke after a heart cath. (Evidently a piece of plaque was knocked loose when the instrument went thrugh her veins.)

After the stroke, she was still able to speak. She called her daughter one night to tell her she was having trouble breathing but the nurses would not give her oxygen. The fastest family member who could get to the hospital happened to also be a nurse (at a different facility). She was able to straighten out the nurses who misinterpreted a living will to mean no treatment at all! Oxygen was immediately put on this poor elderly patient and she felt much better!

My attorney shook his head affirmatively and then told me of his recent trip to the same hospital when he was admitted for a knee replacement surgery. When the interviewer asked him if he had a "living will", he responded, "I sure do. He then pointed to the lady sitting next to him and said "this is my wife of 40 years and she's also my living will". I have told her my wishes. He then told me for the same reason as to what happened with the elderly lady I spoke of originally is exactly why he doesn't recommend Living Wills.

I do have a power of attorney whereby I appointed two of my family members who have been granted my permission to make medical decisions for me if I am not able to communicate them myself. They know they are to talk to the doctor(s) directly and not the nurses who might misinterpret my final wishes.

Always two sides to every situation....just be careful not to release the living will to ANYONE



Normally a living will is for the doctor to interpret and the patient should be at the point of no return, usually certified by two different physcians. Also, the patient is normally comotose. There is a huge difference is making a fully aware talking patient comfortable and pulling the plug on a comotose patient who has no chances of ever recovering, etc...