My understanding is that 'living wills' with regards to…

Poco a poco se anda lejos: Little by little one goes far	epeemom

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Posted by: epeemom Original: 3/27/2005 7:00 PM Views: 1 Comments: 1 eProps: 2 Read Comments Post a Comment Back to Your Xanga Site

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Sunday, March 27, 2005

My understanding is that 'living wills' with regards to this matter are only 'living wishes' : the next of kin can still over-ride the expressed will-wish. Ah, well.

Posted 3/27/2005 at 4:15 PM by notforprophet - delete - block user

notforprophet makes a salient point in his above comment. If next of kin are not apprised of one's wishes or educated on why you want to have the instructions of your own Living Will followed, they may very well try to override the decision in the hour when following through on the Advance Directives are so important. That's why it's important to talk with your family members about your wishes.

One step further into the process is to work with one's physician on a "Do Not Resuscitate" order. This order states that should your heart stop beating and lungs stop breathing, you will not have cardiac massage or the drugs and electricity used in this kind of effort. A DNR order can be crafted so that you get the drugs without the heart massage-kind of point less as the compressions on the chest to "pump" the heart circulate the blood and thus, the medications. Most physician's will balk at writing a DNR on a healthy, viable especially younger person. This is another area where telling one's physician explicitly what one wants- and having the appropriate paperwork drawn up- fortifies one's wishes if the situation appears and helps the physician and primary spokesperson implement one's wishes with less interference from well-meaning family members who may not agree with the very personal decision on how one's "health" care is to be managed.

When people know how you feel, there is a greater chance that your wishes will be followed.

Blessings abound

Posted 3/27/2005 7:00 PM - 1 view - 1 comments

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In Oz we have a section on our driver's licences that allow us to nominate as 'organ donors' It's really a mute point as our next-of-kin still has to sign the papers and therefore can override our wishes. I'd guess it would be the same with a DNR. We have a National Organ Donor Database but I'm not sure of it's legal bindings.

As for arranging things with your physician, that could be a plan when one keeps one physician. But, is it legally binding? In my case, as a wanderer/Gypsy I never stay anywhere long enough to be able to do this. I know I'm not that unusual either (in this respect )