July 16th, 2019
It is a very good idea to create advance
directives in order to plan for the possibility that you may one day be unable
to make your own medical decisions. In doing so, there can be confusion about
the difference between a living will and a "do-not-resuscitate" order
(DNR). While both these documents are advance medical directives, they serve
different purposes.
A living will is a document that you can use
to give instructions regarding treatment if you become terminally ill or are in
a persistent vegetative state and unable to communicate your instructions. The
living will states under what conditions life-sustaining treatment should be
terminated. If you would like to avoid life-sustaining treatment when it would
be hopeless, you need a living will. A living will takes effect only when you
are incapacitated and is not set in stone -- you can always revoke it at a
later date if you wish to do so.
When drawing up a living will, you need to
consider the various care options and what you would like done. You need to
think about whether you want care to extend your life no matter what or only in
certain circumstances. A living will can dictate when you want a ventilator,
dialysis, tube feeding, blood transfusions, and other life- saving or
life-prolonging options.
A DNR is a different document. A DNR says that
if your heart stops or you stop breathing, medical professionals should not
attempt to revive you. This is very different from a living will, which only
goes into effect if you are unable to communicate your wishes for care.
Everyone can benefit from a living will, while DNRs are only for very elderly
and/or frail patients for whom it wouldn't make sense to administer CPR.
In addition to a living will, you will also
need a health care proxy or broader medical directive.
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