Six Things You Should Know About A Living Will
06 Jan 2008
Why have a Living Will a skeptical patient recently asked? I replied "Because no one in this world will care as much about how you die as you will". So don’t say no to a LW because of unfounded myths.
One
I’m not going to sign a Living Will because it allows doctors to quickly pull the plug and end my life. In fact, the very opposite is true. North American doctors today spend much of their time worrying about lawyers in treating all medical situations. But when faced with a decision of whether to terminate a life they back away from it like the plague. They worry that any move to end a life may result in legal action by the family, nurses or other physicians who believe life must be continued to the last drop of blood. So without a LW they run for the woods and leave your fate to nature. I have no problem with that decision if it’s your wish.
Two
Signing a LW is a waste of time because it’s not a binding legal document. There is an element of truth for thinking this way. Bu that does not mean it’s a worthless document. Rather, consider a LW an advance directive that informs family members what you want done if you’re unable to speak for your self. There are few 100 guarantees in life, but it’s the best insurance policy I know that gives you a fighting chance of dying the way you want to die.
Three
Don’t believe the death notices that often say, "John Smith passed away peacefully". If you have the luck of the Irish this does happen. But it’s been my experience that in the real world there is no such thing as death with dignity. If you suddenly fall to the ground with a massive heart attack death comes quickly but there is no dignity gasping for air. In the majority of cases death is a slow grinding process that never hits the obituary column. I’ve never believed having to use a bedpan, a catheter to empty the bladder or wearing a hospital gown won with no backside was anything but undignified. Sorry, but there are few Hollywood deaths.
Four
Living Wills can’t cover all the things that might happen while dying so why bother to have one. But you don’t need a 200 page document to get the message across. As Albert Einstein remarked, "It should be simple, but not too simple". So it’s easy to get a straight-forward message across in a very few words if you use the right words. I think I’ve done this in the Gifford-Jones Living Will.
Five
My family knows what I want done if I become seriously ill so I don’t need a LW. You may be right, but your family doesn’t own the doctors, the hospital and they don’t write the law. So if you’re comatose how do the doctors or hospital administration know what you wanted done? After all, as far as others are concerned they may think family members are more interested in your bank account that in your life on this planet. So without this vital document you often pay the price for this folly. It means intravenous feeding and other tubes will continue unless you’re lucky to have a guardian angel on your side. And don’t put your faith in hospital ethics committees. They can make good decisions. But I would not sleep well unless I’d chosen my own committee.
Six
You have some good points and I’ll talk about this matter one of these days with my lawyer. But usually one of these days really means none of these days. It’s the major error people make and often suffer needlessly due to their procrastination. And remember there’s no pint in a LW unless someone knows where it is.
The Gifford-Jones LW can be obtained by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Dr. Gifford-Jones, 1 First Canadian Place, P.O. Box 119, Toronto, Ontario, M5X 1A4 plus $10.00 to cover the cost.
