But without that guidance, a person may feel torn between allowing natural death and pursuing every possible treatment option. Advance directives are a blessing in this regard because the individual’s wishes are spelled out in black and white. One of the hardest parts of making end-of-life decisions for someone else is the pressure of wanting to do the “ right” thing. If you need additional support, reach out to their healthcare providers, other important people in your loved one’s life, a counselor, social worker or therapist, or a religious advisor. Let the person’s previously stated wishes, goals, and values help to guide your answers. What would be most important to your loved one?.What is the doctor recommending and why?.If recovery is not possible, are there things they would want to minimize or avoid (pain, suffering, long-term mechanical support)?.How will it affect their ability to do things or communicate?.Will the treatment (or lack of treatment) improve or reduce quality of life?.What risks or side effects would they believe to be burdensome or not worth the effort?. What treatments would they consider beneficial?.If this person could see their current condition, what would their goals be?.Find out what decisions you need to make now and what decisions will need to be made later.Īs you consider all the options, good questions to ask yourself include: Ask them to talk to you about their quality of life, benefits and risks of treatment, and their level of pain and/or suffering. Sit with their doctor and get as much information as possible about what is likely to happen and the options available. When asked to make end-of-life decisions for another person, it is important to remember that you need to put yourself in their mind and their shoes. Making End-of-Life Decisions for Someone Else Healthcare providers and the courts want to ensure the patient’s best interests are being met, and the person or people closest to the patient can provide important insight into the patient’s beliefs, goals, values, wishes, and personal preferences so they can create a care plan that supports the patient’s physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. In the absence of that request and documentation, the patient’s healthcare provider may ask you to step into this role or a court may assign this role to you as the patient’s closest family member, friend, or representative. In the most perfect world, they would have put their wishes in writing and named you as their healthcare power of attorney. In a perfect world, you would be asked to make end-of-life decisions for someone else because they discussed their wishes with you and asked you to take on this role. The bigger challenge occurs when we are asked to make end-of-life decisions for someone else who can no longer make healthcare decisions for themselves. When we think about healthcare choices at end of life, we may already have definite ideas of what our wishes are.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |