By Judie Brown
American Life League
Depending on how you look at it, planning on how you wish to be cared for at the end stages of your life can be nothing more than playing a game of Russian roulette. The only difference is that the person holding the gun to your head is not you!
Recent headlines draw me to make that conclusion, so allow us to examine the reasons why this is so.
First, let us define advance directive:
It’s a document intended to instruct medical personnel on the kind of healthcare you would like to receive should you become unable to communicate your wishes. Common examples are a “living will” or a type of document called a “durable power of attorney for healthcare.” This latter document gives the power to make decisions about your healthcare to another person of your choosing. Every state now has laws authorizing one or more forms of advance directives.
This may have sounded good in the old days, but no more! Since 1991, we have had a federal law, the Patient Self Determination Act, in place. The PSDA “requires that whenever any adult is admitted to a hospital for any reason, he or she must be informed about ‘living wills’ or other types of ‘advance directives’ available by law.”
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