(no subject)

[andrewducker]

Originally a comment on a post of TheFerrett's about his grandmother falling apart.

I've seriously asked God for something only once in my life.

My grandmother was in hospital, obviously dying, obviously no longer there inside her own head.

It was horrible and upsetting and I knew that, having been such a strong person, seeing herself like that would have made her so sad and angry.

And despite the fact that I don't even believe there is a God, I found myself asking that if I was wrong and there was something out there, it allow this person to die before they had to suffer through any longer.

I hope that euthanasia is legal before I reach that stage, because I really don't want to go that way.

Comments

make your wishes known

[alycekat.livejournal.com]

Maybe even more important is medical power of attorney. You give it to someone you trust, (to do what *you* want done)and thus not necessarily your next of kin. Note: even in CA, where it's all "community property" etc. a spouse does not have automatic medical power of attorney.

The spouse gets asked, naturally, when there are judgment calls to be made. But that kind of a situation leads to legal risk for the hospital & the doctor, when there is any conflicting opinion in play (say from another family member, which is the most common case, by far).

Hospitals & doctors arent the problem. The problem is legal liability, and major denial, on the part of the public. The thing to do is admit our mortality, and fill out the appropriate documents. Because you never know when you might wind up in the ER (speaking from personal experience, on that one).

Medical power of attorney is limited to medical decisions, and authorizes someone to make legally binding decisions for you, (only) when you cant make them for yourself. It's the same, legally, as having you yourself decline the treatment or the life support option.

It covers the doctor's & the hospital's ass, in terms of getting sued & allows them to do the reasonable thing, which is what they almost always want to do, anyway. (They already see way too much pain & suffering, and they generally arent out to prolong the process for anyone, least of all for themselves, when they know it's hopeless.)

Given the state of public opinion on this stuff, you should most definitely accompany that power of attorney with a very strongly worded, detailed physician's directive, to make clear to all concerned that your authorized rep is only doing exactly what you told them to do. (And dont cut off hydration - even if you're in a coma, it's horrible for your family to watch - really a gross form of death. But do cut off the machines, and the forced feedings, if you wish.)

And if this all is just too gross to face, or deal with, then you really can't complain, when health professionals have to make ass-saving decisions that you dont like.

Re: make your wishes known

[missedith01.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree that doctors are not the problem, provided they act within the law as it stands.

I believe the legal situation is somewhat different in the UK, however this is not my area so I wouldn't be able to say for sure. I don't know whether we have an equivalent of the medical power of attorney you describe.

We do have "living wills" where an individual can set down in advance what treatment they refuse while they are still capable of doing so. I think they are legally binding but are still not infrequently ignored by doctors.