Difficult Discussions: End-of-Life Decisions and Why You Need a Medical Power of Attorney
Recently, I cared for an older adult who had no living will or medical power of attorney. Although this woman was an octogenarian, she had been very healthy—until a catastrophic event led to her being hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Because she had been healthy, she didn’t foresee the need to discuss her end-of-life wishes with her family. She also hadn’t designated a medical power of attorney or had a living will drawn up, and her family decided to put her on life support despite the doctor’s opinion that care was futile. She was on life support for an extended amount of time and was resuscitated several times before finally passing. In the end, her family was devastated, feeling that they had extended her suffering needlessly and perhaps hadn’t followed her wishes.
