Living Wills Helpful, but Unlikely to Solve Most End-of-Life Dilemmas
Living Wills Helpful, but Unlikely to Solve Most End-of-Life Dilemmas
Living Will Dilemmas
Although Puchalski agrees that living wills have a place, she says they need to be much broader. She explains that "Five Wishes" is a living will form developed by Aging With Dignity that helps patients express how they want to be treated if they are seriously ill and unable to speak for themselves. According to Aging With Dignity, the document is unique among living wills in that it "looks to all of a person's needs: medical, personal, emotional, and spiritual."
The document is legally recognized in all but 15 states, according to the organization.
"Patients and doctors need to know that their lives and deaths are not 100% within their control," Puchalski says. "Both need to honor the mystery of death. There is a tremendous amount of mystery in living and dying, which flies in the face of our need to have everything neatly packaged in a form."
Living Wills Helpful, but Unlikely to Solve Most End-of-Life Dilemmas
Living Will Dilemmas
Although Puchalski agrees that living wills have a place, she says they need to be much broader. She explains that "Five Wishes" is a living will form developed by Aging With Dignity that helps patients express how they want to be treated if they are seriously ill and unable to speak for themselves. According to Aging With Dignity, the document is unique among living wills in that it "looks to all of a person's needs: medical, personal, emotional, and spiritual."
The document is legally recognized in all but 15 states, according to the organization.
"Patients and doctors need to know that their lives and deaths are not 100% within their control," Puchalski says. "Both need to honor the mystery of death. There is a tremendous amount of mystery in living and dying, which flies in the face of our need to have everything neatly packaged in a form."
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