HealthyLife Articles

Tag: end of life

  • Advance Directives

    Medical Care

    Hospitals and nursing homes are required to give you information about your rights as a patient under their care. Advance directives are a legal way for you to declare your wishes to choose or refuse medical treatment.

    {Note: If you live in or get medical care in more than one state, have advance directives for all states involved.}

    Two Types of Advance Directives

    *  Living Will. This written document states what medical treatment you would want or not want if you were unable to state it yourself. A living will applies when you can’t express your wishes on your own and you have a terminal illness or condition from which you aren’t expected to survive. In writing, you may choose or refuse:

    – Measures to Support Life, such as a respirator (a machine to breathe for you).

    – Measures to Sustain Life, such as tube feedings and kidney dialysis (a machine that does the work of your kidneys).

    – Measures to Enhance Life. These keep you comfortable, but don’t prolong life. Examples are pain medications and hospice care.

    *  Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care. This written document names a person who would make treatment decisions for you if you are not able to make them yourself. This person would state your wishes. Your condition does not have to be terminal or irreversible to have someone speak on your behalf.

    Each state has its own laws on advance directives. Get forms for them from your lawyer, local hospital or library, or from your state’s Web site. Other places for forms and information:

    *  Caring Connection:www.caringinfo.org– Click on “Planning Ahead” and “State-Specific Advance Directives.”

    *  U.S. Living Will Registry:www.uslivingwillregistry.com

    After you complete advance directives, discuss them with your family and close friend(s). Give your doctor a copy, too.

    Page from the Healthier at Home book by the American Institute for Preventive Medicine. www.HealthyLife.com. All rights reserved.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine

  • How To Choose A Quality Hospice

    FAMILY LIFE

    Image of male nurse and elderly man on a laptop.

    When a loved one is diagnosed with a serious or life-limiting illness, the questions facing an individual or a family can be overwhelming. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization recommends that people learn more about hospice as an important option before they are faced with a medical crisis.

    Hospice is not a place but a kind of care for people who have a life-limiting illness and are making the choice to focus on quality and comfort if more conventional treatments have become burdensome.

    Hospices provide high-quality care that is tailored to your loved one’s needs and that supports family caregivers.

    Your doctor and other health care providers or your company’s EAP may recommend hospice providers in your area. You can also get a list of hospice providers and more information about hospice from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization atwww.nhpco.org.

    Important questions in choosing a quality hospice include:

    *  Is the hospice Medicare certified?

    *  What services should I expect from the hospice?

    *  How are services provided after hours?

    *  How and where does hospice provide short-term inpatient care?

    *  What services do volunteers offer?

    *  How long does it typically take the hospice to enroll someone once the request for services is made?

    When should hospice care begin?

    Every patient and family must decide that based upon their unique needs. Professionals encourage people to learn about care options long before they think they may need them.

    © American Institute for Preventive Medicine