Is everyone aware of the importance of these? which include documents for assignment of Medical Power of Attorney, Directive to Physicians(sometimes called Living Will), and Out of Hospital Do Not Resuscitate.

If you don't know what these are, it's a good idea to get familiar with them (including Durable Power of Attorney for estate matters, Last Will and Testament, and Appointment of Agent to Control Disposition of Remains)and avoid any ambiguities that might cause suffering to your families, or even prolong bodily life in a futile manner, such as the case in Florida:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,145214,00.html


Only Durable Power of Attorney requires a notary, with the others only needing two witnesses not related to family or estate; the DNR requires a doctor's signature.

http://www.bazelon.org/issues/advancedirectives/


An Advanced Directive for mental health concerns. Not a bad idea, given some of the therapies one might encounter.

WillMaker is a program for doing wills, and as far as I know it�s a good one.

Here's what I've come up with. See what you all think:

- - -

1. If I am in the process of dying (that is, organ systems shutting down), I do not wish to have my life extended through any artificial means. I would like my doctor and/or hospice to assist in the determination of the use of drugs to relieve extraordinary pain.

2. If I should, for whatever reason, lose the use of my faculties of reason and choice, and there is no prospect of their recovery, I do not wish to have my life extended through extraordinary means. By extraordinary means, I am referring to the administration of any device or procedure that functions in place of one of my organ systems. This would include artificial respirators, dialysis, and the like.

3. If there is uncertainty concerning my intent regarding the above, I delegate my spouse to decide what should be done. If she is also deceased, then my children shall discuss this matter with my pastor and come to a decision after due counsel and prayer. If they cannot come to a unanimous consensus, my pastor is to decide.

4. I wish to die at home, unless it is excessively expensive and burdensome to family members that I do so.

5. I am willing to have whatever bodily organs that might still be healthy donated to be used by others or for research purposes.

Phil and others:

Here's a link that may further assist in detailing a Living Will, or Directive to Physicians, according to the precepts of various religious faiths:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story...281_1.html#christian

1. If I am in the process of dying (that is, organ systems shutting down), I do not wish to have my life extended through any artificial means. I would like my doctor and/or hospice to assist in the determination of the use of drugs to relieve extraordinary pain.


For myself, I'd also include a feeding tube. Did you mean to include this? I'm consulting an attorney about all of this, and so far have decided on a six month period where a feeding tube can be administered, unless it is determined my body is failing, in which case only palliative or hospice care is to be administered and a feeding tube witheld or withdrawn.

2. If I should, for whatever reason, lose the use of my faculties of reason and choice, and there is no prospect of their recovery, I do not wish to have my life extended through extraordinary means. By extraordinary means, I am referring to the administration of any device or procedure that functions in place of one of my organ systems. This would include artificial respirators, dialysis, and the like.

Again, it would be important to specify what you feel about a feeding tube. A phrase "and the like" probably shouldn't be left open to interpretation, IMO. I share your distinction about mental impairment, although medical science is anything but precise in its ability to measure cognitive impairment when the person is unconscious; for this reason, I'm probably going to specify a six month time frame beyond which feeding tubes and other extraordinary means be discontinued if I haven't recovered consciousness and the ability to make my needs known. This last bit about "ability to make my needs known" avoids the Terri Shiavo scenario, where she could nevertheless be viewed as minimally conscious.

3. If there is uncertainty concerning my intent regarding the above, I delegate my spouse to decide what should be done. If she is also deceased, then my children shall discuss this matter with my pastor and come to a decision after due counsel and prayer. If they cannot come to a unanimous consensus, my pastor is to decide.

I don't have family to support me in this, and those still alive I simply wouldn't trust to make such weighty decisions. So I have two close friends as primary and secondary agents i.e, MPOAs; however, I don't want them having to make any impromptu judgements, even though they know me well. Hopefully my advance directives will be adequate to protect them from such distress. As for a pastor, I'm just not close enough, and not clear enough on whether the traditionally Catholic view is compatible with my considerations. What do you think, as a Catholic, about my six month period, Phil? For me, it's an extension of my previous terms, where I didn't want a feeding tube for any reason under any conditions.

5. I am willing to have whatever bodily organs that might still be healthy donated to be used by others or for research purposes.

This poses a concern for me. I like the idea except for the intuition that the body needs to be left in a state of rest for an extended time, where the process of the soul's disembodiment and detachment don't happen all at once. Of course, there is a limited time the medical examiner's office will allow before body has to be processed - I know of people who've obtained approval for 24 hrs. for religious reasons.

Here are some other conditions I'm considering detailing in a Living Will. Where they appear as statements there are still questions looming in some cases. It shows how complicated the issue has become with all the medical technology available, whether effective or not, as well as the inherent loose ends that probably nobody can wrap up in any attempt to anticipate the nature of their own demise.

Enter "faith" . . . . . .

_____________________________________

NO PVS
NO comatose state beyond 6 months
NO feeding Tube beyond 6 months

What if I have a feeding tube inserted, wake up, recover my mental faculties but am unable to eat on my own? What would I do? D/C the feeding tube?

If I'm conscious but can't make my wishes known, indicating impaired mental faculties, then I wish to have the FT and all other extraordinary means withdrawn.

What if I'm conscious, have permanently impaired mental faculties, but can eat without a FT?

After six months of rehabilitation, if I'm unable to live independently due to mental impairment: withdraw feeding tube, or cease assisted oral feeding. If I'm only dependent physically, I can make my own decision at the time.

Bed-fast state with impaired mental faculties causing me to be unable to make my needs known, whether I can eat on my own or not . . . . 6 month time limit, afterwhich FT removed.

DNR

Clearing an airway ok: the only intervention allowed by paramedics. Family or MPOA can revoke DNR, so it's important to make this clear to them.

No surgeries except for pain management only, such as removal of obstruction. No resuscitation during surgery if heart fails.

During convalesence, whether conscious or unconscious, herbal therapy under the guidance of my licensed acupuncturist should be given priority over drug therapies, and administered through a feeding tube where appropriate. Herbal therapy to be utilized for pain management unless it is ineffective, in which case drug therapies are to be used. I request that medical doctors allow my acupuncturist and naturopathic physician to treat with acupuncture and other means at their disposal, including electro-acupuncture, and prescribe herbal, naturopathic and homeopathic therapies for me under these conditions.