Have you made a Living Will?
If not, read this.
Living Wills, or Advance Directives as they are also called, record what YOU want to be done if you become so ill or severely injured that you cannot speak for yourself.
Some people want to hang on to life at all costs, even if they can no longer understand or communicate with those around them & will never regain the full use of their faculties, believing that 'where there is life there is hope'.
IF YOU FEEL LIKE THAT, YOU CAN SIGN A PRO-CHOICE LIVING WILL.
However, some others do not wish to be subjected to medical treatments & interventions which might prolong life, if that resulted in a quality of life which they would find unacceptable.
Perhaps You Are One of Those who Do Not Wish to Prolong Life At All Costs?
If you suffered a severe head injury, for example, & were on a life support machine, you would want it to be turned off because, even if you survived, you would be seriously brain damaged. A more likely scenario is that of cardiac arrest while under an anaesthetic. Would you like to undergo the trauma of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, knowing that only 5% of such patients survive for three months & some of these are mentally impaired as a result?
There are many valid versions of a Living Will, but all are formal documents which must be considered in depth & in detail. All need to be WITNESSED & DATED, & most encourage the nomination of a PROXY to speak on your behalf if there is any doubt in the doctors' minds as to your intentions.
The Medical Profession
The medical profession has changed its mind radically over the past ten years. The British Medical Association in a booklet Advance Statements About Medical Treatment states that patients "can also refuse IN ADVANCE medical treatment which may be necessary when their capacity will be impaired" [our capitals].
Even so, not all doctors agree with this official view & it is therefore important to discuss your views with your General Practitioner. You will probably be surprised to find how sympathetic he/she is. If he/she cannot in conscience accept your Living Will, then you must consider changing to another doctor. In hospital, any consultant who disagrees with a Living Will must hand over to another doctor who does agree.
Family Members
One of the great benefits of making a Living Will is the opportunity it creates for you to discuss these vitally important matters with your family. In practice, most of the decisions regarding the implementation of your Living Will will be made in hospital, so you must ensure that a copy is included in your case notes.
You could also sign a DO NOT ATTEMPT RESUSCITATION instruction (& get it witnessed) for attachment to your Living Will, to make your wishes known.
How I Want to Live until I Die
Decisions about your future health care & your living conditions may have to be made when you are unable to communicate & an EXTENDED VALUES HISTORY form enables you to set out in advance your wishes, preferences, & attitudes to show how you want to be cared for either at home or in 'a home'. The form can be attached to your Living Will.
Welfare Power of Attorney
In Scotland there is extra protection available under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 whereby you can appoint your Living Will proxy or anybody else as an attorney to act for you in all your health & welfare requirements.
Why not join us?
Living Wills, or Advance Directives as they are also called, record what YOU want to be done if you become so ill or severely injured that you cannot speak for yourself.
Some people want to hang on to life at all costs, even if they can no longer understand or communicate with those around them & will never regain the full use of their faculties, believing that 'where there is life there is hope'.
IF YOU FEEL LIKE THAT, YOU CAN SIGN A PRO-CHOICE LIVING WILL.
However, some others do not wish to be subjected to medical treatments & interventions which might prolong life, if that resulted in a quality of life which they would find unacceptable.
Perhaps You Are One of Those who Do Not Wish to Prolong Life At All Costs?
If you suffered a severe head injury, for example, & were on a life support machine, you would want it to be turned off because, even if you survived, you would be seriously brain damaged. A more likely scenario is that of cardiac arrest while under an anaesthetic. Would you like to undergo the trauma of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, knowing that only 5% of such patients survive for three months & some of these are mentally impaired as a result?
There are many valid versions of a Living Will, but all are formal documents which must be considered in depth & in detail. All need to be WITNESSED & DATED, & most encourage the nomination of a PROXY to speak on your behalf if there is any doubt in the doctors' minds as to your intentions.
The Medical Profession
The medical profession has changed its mind radically over the past ten years. The British Medical Association in a booklet Advance Statements About Medical Treatment states that patients "can also refuse IN ADVANCE medical treatment which may be necessary when their capacity will be impaired" [our capitals].
Even so, not all doctors agree with this official view & it is therefore important to discuss your views with your General Practitioner. You will probably be surprised to find how sympathetic he/she is. If he/she cannot in conscience accept your Living Will, then you must consider changing to another doctor. In hospital, any consultant who disagrees with a Living Will must hand over to another doctor who does agree.
Family Members
One of the great benefits of making a Living Will is the opportunity it creates for you to discuss these vitally important matters with your family. In practice, most of the decisions regarding the implementation of your Living Will will be made in hospital, so you must ensure that a copy is included in your case notes.
You could also sign a DO NOT ATTEMPT RESUSCITATION instruction (& get it witnessed) for attachment to your Living Will, to make your wishes known.
How I Want to Live until I Die
Decisions about your future health care & your living conditions may have to be made when you are unable to communicate & an EXTENDED VALUES HISTORY form enables you to set out in advance your wishes, preferences, & attitudes to show how you want to be cared for either at home or in 'a home'. The form can be attached to your Living Will.
Welfare Power of Attorney
In Scotland there is extra protection available under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 whereby you can appoint your Living Will proxy or anybody else as an attorney to act for you in all your health & welfare requirements.
Why not join us?