The Advance Health Care Directive - Part Ii

Summary

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One of the most distressing situations a family has to face is that of making medical decisions concerning whether to withhold or withdraw life support for a loved one. I know of a situation in which brothers and sisters, holding vigil outside their mother's intensive care hospital room, spent hours heatedly arguing about what medical course of action to take rather than comforting one another. Since their mother had not expressed her wishes before she had a massive heart attack, the family was left to make the decision without the benefit of her input. Those voting to keep their mother on life support stated that they couldn't bear the guilt associated with "pulling the plug." Those voting to let their mother "pass on in peace" by disconnecting the life support felt it was the only humane thing to do under the circumstances. Without a consensus from the family, the doctor refused to take any action and mother languished in the hospital intensive care ward for a couple of difficult weeks before the inevitable occurred.

Since their mother had not expressed her wishes before she had a massive heart attack, the family was left to make the decision without the benefit of her input.

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Extract

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The Advance Health Care Directive - Part Ii

In my last column, I focused on the first purpose of an Advance Health Care Directive, that of appointing an agent to make medical decisions for you when you are unable to make medical decisi...

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