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Advanced Directives

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It is extremely important that every patient has the opportunity to control the care they wish to receive in case of medical emergencies. These wishes may be addressed through legal documentation, known as advanced directives. Through the use of advanced directives patients can appoint a healthcare proxy, express their living will, and make decisions about hospice and palliative care. Advanced directives allow patients to make decisions that may be hard for their families, and their providers to make during this difficult time. “A living will spells out what types of medical treatment a person wants at the end of life if he’s unable to speak for himself ("Power of Attorney, Living Will, and Advance Directive - AARP").” When patients become …show more content…

Life-Sustaining Treatments, also known as life-prolonging treatment or life support, help keep a patient alive when their necessary body functions begin to fail ("End-of-Life Decisions - CaringInfo"). This is a highly controversial advanced directive because it challenges, ethical and religious beliefs. If the treatment will provide temporary relief until the patient is able to carry out normal bodily functions, then they may consider these treatments, however if they are prolonging the inevitable shut down of all body systems they may not wish to prolong end of life treatment. Artificial nutrition and hydration is when the patient is unable to consume food on their own so a feeding tube is inserted into the stomach, intestines or veins, in order to provide nutrition to the patient ("End-of-Life Decisions - CaringInfo"). According to state law, a person can refuse artificial nutrition if it is stated clearly in the patients advanced directives. Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) is a series of procedures that can restore breathing in a state of medical emergency. These procedures function in place of the heart and lungs until the can function on their own again. Ethical issues arise when the doctors believe that the patient will never regain function of the heart and lungs. Some people believe that if there is no hope that the patient will …show more content…

Most require two or more witnesses and a notary, to assure that the patient is not forced into consenting to treatment they would not otherwise want. Witnesses generally do not include family members, or the person that the patient appoints as their healthcare proxy, because they may be beneficiaries of the patients estate. In some states, the patient’s doctors or healthcare providers cannot be used as witnesses. The patient does not need to share the content of the documentation with their witnesses. Patients should look into their state laws regarding advanced directive to ensure that the documentation meets the legal requirements ("End-of-Life Decisions - CaringInfo"). The Patient Self-Determination Act (PSDA) is the federal law regarding end of life care. PSDA requires facilities to let the patient know their policies and procedures, however it does not say that the facility has to accept a patients advanced directives, or that patients must have advanced directives. PSDA is meant to educate patients, and facilities and protect their rights ("End-of-Life Decisions -

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Oftentimes, grief can be a challenging thing to overcome as a healthcare provider. It not only stymies people from making sound decisions, but it can end up with blame focused in areas where it should not be. This is with particular regard to patient families. In the case of this 72-year-old patient, there are a number of issues in this situation that are both unethical and downright illegal, including the fact that the patient’s living will is not currently being respected. Legal/Ethical issue 1: The legality of the living will parameters Both the legal and ethical issues of this situation have the do with the legality of the living will.

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Attention getter: I will tell the importance of having an advance directive, the reasons that should make someone choose to prepare this document, and the benefits of having one Thesis Statement: Having an advance directive is a decision all middle age and elderly individual should make, and have when it’s needed, which allows you to get the care you prefer at the end of life. Question based on Thesis: Why not have one prepared and allow yourself to get the care you prefer

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The dying patient no longer has quality of life, they have lost their independence, are lonely, are forced to endure inevitable pain, are publicly humiliated, are suffering immensely, and are forced to watch their loved ones grieve because of them. It is an innate Constitutional Right to choose how to die, since we all will die. There comes a point when the poking and prodding becomes too much, when the patient wants to just die in silence in the loving arms of their

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This act would mirror the legislation regarding death with dignity in Oregon, and the requirements set by the legislation. The CARE Act would allow for terminally ill patients who meet certain criteria to request medication that will end his/her life in a dignified and humane manner that is completely up to the discretion of the patient. The requirements would be that the patient has to be as resident of the state of Pennsylvania, the request must come from the patient themselves on a form that would be standardized by the statute, the request must be witnessed by two individuals, one of the individuals being someone who is not related to the patient making the request and has absolutely no financial stake in the process. The patient making the request must be at least 18 years of age, and must be deemed competent by all health officials providing treatment. The next requirement would be that witnesses must agree that the patient is of sound mind at the point of signing, and the patient’s physician must attest to the fact that the patients illness is terminal with less than six months projected to live, there is no hope of recovery, and all options have been exhausted in terms of palliative or comfort care.

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Federal Advanced Directive Advanced directives became a national topic of discussion following the passage of the 1976 California Natural Death Act otherwise known as the Natural Death Law, Death with Dignity Acts, or Living Will Acts. California passed the law in 1976 after a 31 year old woman, Karen Ann Quinlan, slipped into a coma, was hooked up to life support equipment and her parent’s request “that the respirator be disconnected and that their daughter be allowed to die 'with grace and dignity, ' because there was no hope she would recover” (McFaden, R., 1985). Quinlan was connected to a respirator for a year while her parents argued for her rights, the law went into effect in 1977. The law confirmed the rights of the terminally

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However, there is hope of a peaceful death for these patients that exists in a controversial law being considered by many states throughout the country. It is known as the Death with Dignity Act. This law gives terminally ill patients the option of ending their own life in a painless manner at a time and place of their choosing by

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