topic Advance Directives in Wellness

Advance Directives

151949 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 12:50:29 GMT

A segment on CBS this morning about living wills or advance directives to let medical personell know your wishes in cases of cardiac arrest or severe illness. The study they were quoting said about 1/3 (more or less) of people have these filled out. In my experience as an ICU nurse it is much less than that. Personally , I fault doctors for not having these conversations with their patients when they are still in earlier stages of illnesses like COPD, heart failure, cancer. Just discussing this with a spouse is often not enough. It is extremely difficult for families to make these decisions , esp. if they don't all agree 100%.

Re: Advance Directives

Group 5 minus 1 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:06:51 GMT

Had to have surgery a few years back. The hospital required a copy of the AD.

Re: Advance Directives

godi — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:08:00 GMT

My father and I did his advance directive and then he said help me write my obituary. We did and it was the most cherished moment with my Dad. I would not have known half the things he lived. It was a moving, sad and beautiful moment. It is one I will always remember. After my father passed my husband and I did our directives discussed funeral wishes also updated our will. It is hard to imagine but it is something that needs done. Thanks for bringing up this topic it needs discussed.

Re: Advance Directives

software — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:16:45 GMT

@151949 wrote:
A segment on CBS this morning about living wills or advance directives to let medical personell know your wishes in cases of cardiac arrest or severe illness. The study they were quoting said about 1/3 (more or less) of people have these filled out. In my experience as an ICU nurse it is much less than that. Personally , I fault doctors for not having these conversations with their patients when they are still in earlier stages of illnesses like COPD, heart failure, cancer. Just discussing this with a spouse is often not enough. It is extremely difficult for families to make these decisions , esp. if they don't all agree 100%.

I did mine when I did my will. The attorney told me that every state is different and just pulling one off the internet could be contested or unacceptable.

I would recommend letting an attorney write one, it's not that expensive. Make sure your family has a copy and understands your wishes up front. Any time I've been in the hospital, I've always been asked if I have an AD. I'd be curious to know if anyone has had to produce an AD. I had Power of Attorney over my parents, I was never asked to produce one when I made their medical decisions. My late hubby had an AD but I was never asked to produce it.

I would like to add that it's no "magic bullet". Some of those decisions at the end are not as black & white as shown in the movies. It didn't give me that much of peace of mind, those decisions are still very difficult to make.

Re: Advance Directives

MarieIG — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:34:17 GMT

I was asked if there was one, there was not. I'm not up to writing about the details. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have one yet. And btw, I don't want fluids / nutrition withheld, although I don't want extraordinary means being used.

Re: Advance Directives

meem120 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 14:07:44 GMT

I know this is going to sound dumb, but....my husband and I are in our mid sixties. Good health. We have Advance Directives and all is taken care of. Every provider asked if we have them and I say yes and they all want copies for their records. Now this is the dumb part, Im not ready to give them to anyone yet. We know each others wishes and when the time comes will certainly produce them. Anyone else feel like this?

Re: Advance Directives

GCR18 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 14:35:29 GMT

I can't agree more. My father ended up on life support. He didn't have anything in writing or discussed anything with my mother. Then we had to plan the funeral. My mother and I had opposite ideas. We went with her ideas. We talked about what kind of funeral she wants, but she ignores the medical part. I am going to push that with her when I visit next month.

Re: Advance Directives

151949 — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 15:19:37 GMT

On the other hand - there was my Dad's case. He had an AD - no nothing , ever, under any circumstances.So when my parents were in a horrific car accident I told them IN THE ER - he wanted nothing extraordinary. He had broken his neck and was paralysed from the shoulder down. They admitted him to the trauma unit on CPAP only and he was breathing ok on that, but they did say eventually he would tire and it would be harder for him.He was unconscious. 2 days later , while all the family was at my Mom's funeral, they intubated him and put him on a ventilator against our written and signed directive.This poor man lived for 7 more months on that horrible machine, paralysed, and basically just a horrible torture for him and for us to see him like that. I should have sued that hospital, and I'm sorry I didn't.I feel what they did to him was just immoral.

Re: Advance Directives

jewel3 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 01:47:38 GMT

When I had sepsis a few years ago almost every nurse who came in my room asked if I had an advanced directive - especially after they took my BP and it was 50/30. I said no because I did not survive cancer to die from sepsis and I was going to walk out of the hospital asap. I told them to do everything possible to make me well. They did and I was grateful.

Since then i have written one but I want to have every opportunity to live and have not given it to the hospital yet.

Re: Advance Directives

september — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 02:54:53 GMT

How this is handled might depend where you live. In CA, as well as many other states, doctors now have older patients fill out a POLST form....physicians order for life sustaining treatment.

This is used in addition to an advanced directive.

Re: Advance Directives

september — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 02:57:05 GMT

@meem120 wrote:
I know this is going to sound dumb, but....my husband and I are in our mid sixties. Good health. We have Advance Directives and all is taken care of. Every provider asked if we have them and I say yes and they all want copies for their records. Now this is the dumb part, Im not ready to give them to anyone yet. We know each others wishes and when the time comes will certainly produce them. Anyone else feel like this?

No. You likely paid an attorney to have these papers drawn up for you while you are healthy. Even people in excellent health have accidents or unexpected health issues.

Re: Advance Directives

jewel3 — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 03:06:50 GMT

@september wrote:
How this is handled might depend where you live. In CA, as well as many other states, doctors now have older patients fill out a POLST form....physicians order for life sustaining treatment.

This is used in addition to an advanced directive.

Thank you for this info. I will discuss it with my physician.

Re: Advance Directives

Snowpuppy — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 05:56:32 GMT

@meem120 wrote:
I know this is going to sound dumb, but....my husband and I are in our mid sixties. Good health. We have Advance Directives and all is taken care of. Every provider asked if we have them and I say yes and they all want copies for their records. Now this is the dumb part, Im not ready to give them to anyone yet. We know each others wishes and when the time comes will certainly produce them. Anyone else feel like this?

Yes, I know someone whose father was a cancer patient off and on for many years. Remission and returned several times.

Dad only trusted 1 family member with his wishes including AD. It was discussed with only 1 family member who was provided the paperwork. It lessened the drama in the family considerably.