What Doctors Would Do At The End
From LiveScience, the measures doctors would want if they had brain death that left them unable to speak or recognize people:
Dr. Marsha Wittink of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and her colleagues surveyed more than 800 physicians with an average age of 69. The physicians answered questions about their health status and end-of-life preferences in 1999 and again in 2002.They were asked to consider what treatments they would want in the event of brain death that left them unable to speak or recognize people. They reported how likely they were to desire each of 10 interventions, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), major surgery, a feeding tube and dialysis.
The results showed physicians fell into one of three groups regarding life-sustaining treatments, including:
Physicians who would want most of the interventions, considered aggressive care (12 percent in 1999, and 14 percent in 2002).Physicians who would want intravenous fluids and antibiotics as the primary interventions, considered intermediate care (26 percent in 1999, and 26 percent in 2002).
Physicians who would decline most interventions, considered the least aggressive care (62 percent in 1999, and 60 percent in 2002).
While age and declines in health didn't impact a study participant's end-of-life choices, individuals without advance directives such as a living will or durable power of attorney were most likely to change their wishes over time.
Me? Unplug, unplug. Don't want to be a human turnip. And, should I get Alzheimer's before it's curable, I plan on doing myself in before I lose it entirely.
Here's a copy of a living will.
I think that's probably representative of the population as a whole. Problem being, without an advanced directive, you can't know whether a person is on the intervetion group or not. So get those documents, people, and talk about it with your close loved ones. DH and I have a mutual pact to be pulled apart for spare parts, then cremated and sprinkled. Burial a waste of finite land. Talk about irresponsible!
momof3 at October 30, 2008 6:43 AM
That living will is very similar to mine. It's designated on my driver's license that I am an organ donor, as well. Take what can be used, burn the rest, done deal. My parents weren't pleased at first (I actually made that designation when I was 18 years old), but when I explained to them my thoughts about it, they agreed wtih me and went ahead and changed their drivers' licenses to reflect the same designations. My brothers may have as well, I'll have to ask. We're all agreed that we want to be cremated.
Flynne at October 30, 2008 7:19 AM
I still remember an article I read in Discover magazine over 10 years ago written by a woman fresh out of nursing school who was assigned to look after a ward full of patients like this. The hospital staff called it "watering the vegetables", and they were very unhappy about the huge amount of money and resources spent on the living dead that could have been so much better spent caring for the living. But the doctors were too frightened to pull the plugs, lest they be sued by lawyers for the furious relatives of those vegetables.
Martin at October 30, 2008 10:30 AM
People shouldn't be glib about Alzheimer's (or similar debilitation) and suicide: The odds of actually facing the crisis are too high... And the comfort of our lives in these generations, our removal from these struggles as we make bold promises to ourselves, is too great.
In one of his books Hackworth wrote that you can train soldiers from the crib to their 30th birthday, you can teach to run and shoot and teach them military lore and history and tactics and instill camaraderie and all the rest. But until a guy enters battle, you won't know what he's good for. Often the best performers in the group will cower with fear, and the squeaky little weasels in the back will be heroes.
I think this is like that. Doctors have first hand perspective on the nightmares we all face, but they don't seem to have found any shortcuts to dignity or comfort.
All we can really promise a person on this planet is that horrible things are going to happen to you, or at least to people you love.
You might nevertheless decide, when the battle is on, that every last breath is worth a violent struggle.
Have a great Thursday night, peeps!
Crid [cridcridatgmail] at October 30, 2008 1:54 PM
On a similiar topic: In my state (Washington) we are voting on a "Death with Dignity" law that will allow people given less than 6 months to live an option to get a lethal prescription. I hope this type of thing becomes more widespread in other states.
Details on the initiative here: http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Washington_Death_with_Dignity_Initiative_(2008)
Stacy at October 30, 2008 6:25 PM
That's true, Crid. I'm watching my father slip from moderate to advanced dementia now, and I promise myself that if I am ever diagnosed with dementia, I will off myself. But I can't really know what I'll do until I'm in that position. Maybe I'll still find life worth living. Maybe he finds his life worth living. Who knows.
MonicaP at October 31, 2008 10:56 AM
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