An October 8th article in USA Today underscores the value
of hospital ethics panels, noting that “every day, in a hospital
somewhere,” such groups are “called in to help people make the
choices of a lifetime.”
Ethics committees, the article notes, have “worked in US hospitals for nearly two decades.” Hospital Ethicist Dawn Seery observes that “only 25 percent of Americans have advance directives,” adding that the “sticking points” of such decisions “are almost never cost or insurance” but culture and religion, which influence “every decision about health, illness, disease and care.”
I have found that it is always best if people decide in advance how they want their personal end of life issues to be taken care of. And not leave it to family members who may not know what you would have wanted. Melanie and I have made our advance directives and our daughters have copies of them.
Do you have your advance directives made out and do the important people in your family have copies? If you are over eighteen you need to take care of this issue ASAP. Let you voice be known now so that if you can not speak for yourself later your loved ones will know how to handle the situation.
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This is so important and I cannot stress this enough either. Working much of my career with seniors, I've seen time and time again the burden of "not knowing" on the family before and after death.
ReplyDeletePastor Larry , hello! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is co-incidental that I have been doing this, plus recently as of this week, have paid for my "plot" in my small hometown cemetery.
I also made arrangements for my headstone and also the funeral director called me yesterday and is sending out a package for a "pre-paid" funeral. He said lots of people pay monthly $25.00 or $100.00 ...whichever they choose, depending on the total cost, of course.
I'm soooo releived to be taking care of this *now* and will not be a burden on my family/friends!!! I also have my will and all 5 parts of it included...
I do need to change the beneficiary, though....
I think it's very intelligent to take care of this now....a no-longer-friend of mine told me I was "depressing him" with this talk of my end of days.
So I said "sorry" Goodbye... and hung up on him.
Please excuse the novel here!