AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Making end of life decisions for loved ones10/31/2023 ![]() Person to be the contact when dealing with medical staff. That is not unusual, but it makes sense to choose one Or, maybe the personĭying did not pick one person to make healthcare choices before becoming Maybe that is the family’s cultural tradition. Sometimes, the whole family wants to be involved in every decision. Team if you have a question or if the dying person needs something. Make sure you know how to contact a member of the medical ![]() KeepĪsking questions until you have all the information you need to makeĭecisions. Repeat it or to say it another way that does make sense to you. Something you are told, don’t be afraid to ask the doctor or nurse to It is a good idea to have someone with you when discussing these issues with medical staff. Is the improvement we saw today an overall positive sign or just something temporary?.If we don’t try this treatment, what will happen?.If we try this new treatment and it doesn’t work, what then?.What are the side effects of the approach you are suggesting?.If we choose to try this treatment, can we stop it at any time? For any reason?.How long will this treatment take to make a difference?.Will it give more quality time with family and friends?.How would the new treatment change his or her quality of life?.Will a new treatment help my relative get better?. ![]() Will it change the current treatment plan?.What might we expect to happen in the next few hours, days, or weeks if we continue our current course of treatment?.Person, you need as much information as possible on which to base your Perhaps just being alive was the most importantĪs a decision-maker without specific guidance from the dying Maybe it was being close to family-watching them grow and making What were his or her values in life? What gave meaning to life?.Has he or she expressed an opinion about how someone else was being treated?.Has the dying person ever talked about what he or she would want at the end of life?.Trying to use one of these approaches, it may be helpful to think about If you are making decisions for someone at the end of life and are After talking with Wadi’s doctors, Ali believed that surgery would not improve his father’s quality of life but would cause him pain and discomfort. But, Ali thought, “What kind of time? What would that time do for Dad?” Ali decided that putting his dad through surgery and recovery was not in Wadi’s best interests. Wadi’s doctor suggested that surgery to remove part of a lung might slow down the course of the cancer and give Wadi more time. He is in a nursing facility and doesn’t seem to recognize Ali when he visits. Ali and Wadi’s StoryĪli’s father, Wadi, is 80 and has lung cancer, as well as advanced Parkinson’s disease. This is sometimes combined with substituted judgment. He decided to say no, and his mother died peacefully a few hours later.Īnother approach, known as best interests, is to decide what would be best for the dying person. Joseph remembered how his mother disapproved when an elderly neighbor was put on a similar machine after a stroke. The doctor asked Joseph if he wanted that to be done. The doctor said damage to Leilani’s brain was widespread and she needed to be put on a breathing machine (ventilator) or she would probably die. Joseph’s 90-year-old mother, Leilani, was in a coma after having a major stroke. Some experts believe that decisions should be based on substituted judgment whenever possible. One is to put yourself in the place of the person who is dying and try to choose as he or she would. How do you decide what type of care is right for someone? Even when you have written documents, some decisions still might not be clear since the documents may not address every situation you could face. It is even more difficult if you do not have written or verbal guidance (see Advance Care Planning: Healthcare Directives). It can be overwhelming to be asked to make healthcare decisions for someone who is dying and is no longer able to make his or her own decisions.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |