Legacy MattersI have written in the past about living wills Is the Living Will Dead?
1.Most people don't really know what they want, apart from the general statement that they don't want to live like a vegetable.
2.People can't articulate what they want, apart from the general statement that they don't want to live like a vegetable.
3. Living wills often can't be found. It's a long way from executing a living will to getting it on the hospital charts.
James Q. Wilson points out the problem in today's Wall Street Journal (subscription only)
[S]cholars have shown that we have greatly exaggerated the benefits of living wills. Studies by University of Michigan Professor Carl Schneider and others have shown that living wills rarely make any difference. People with them are likely to get exactly the same treatment as people without them, possibly because doctors and family members ignore the wills. And ignoring them is often the right thing to do because it is virtually impossible to write a living will that anticipates and makes decisions about all of the many, complicated, and hard to foresee illnesses you may face.
We both come to the same conclusion. You are far better off with a health care proxy or durable power of attorney for health care that authorizes one person you know and trust to make the end-of-life decisions for you.
The most difficult decision is who do you want to make those decisions. It doesn't have to be a relative. Pick one person and an alternate in case the person you've chosen can't serve. You want to avoid family fights, so don't pick a committee. It's simple, straightfoward and not expensive. You don't have to anticipate every possible circumstance which you can't in event. You just have to choose one person you trust.
Get thee to thy lawyer.
Posted by Jill Fallon at March 21, 2005 6:45 PM | Permalink