Posted on 03/25/2005 6:21:13 AM PST by grellis
Recent headlines (you know what I am talking about) have given me the topic for today's discussion: Is your family prepared to deal with a sudden, catastrophic illness or disability? Have you discussed your wishes with your spouse, your grown children, your parents? Have you ever considered making a Living Will? If you have one written out, can you tell the rest of us a little bit about what it entails? Is your family financially prepared for a catastrophe, medical or other?
Good morning, ladies!
Good morning, gentlemen!
Does anyone have a link to a life honoring living will that can be downloaded?
Not exactly... I saw & saved this yesterday, but have not investigated it, so proceed with caution:
The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) has created the Will to Live. This differs from the living will by being based on a general presumption for life. It is also much more detailed to avoid ambiguities that could later be interpreted in favor of death. Currently, the Will to Live is complete for fourteen states: Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The other states are in various stages of preparation and will be completed soon. If you would like a Will to Live for one of the states mentioned, send a business size, self- addressed, stamped envelope to: The Will to Live Project 419 7th Street, NW, Suite 500 Washington, D.C. 20004. Anne E. Brennan Reprinted from The American Feminist, Winter 1995/1996
“The Protective Medical Decisions Document” (PMDD) from the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, P.O. Box 756, Steubenville, Ohio 43952. Sign it and keep it among your records. Please get rid of your living will!
We're talking about it now.
What I'm hearing, though, is that a living will isn't really the way to go; "durable power of attorney" is.
Dan
Yes, I have discussed, and no living will.. yet..
Guess I should, I have hurt my knee, dr thinks its a torn menuscus (waiting for MRI) and will be having surgery...
On a happy note, can I brag my son made the golf team at school?
Kevin and I have discussed our wishes many times in the past, right up to what kind of funeral and casket we each want. Morbid? I don't know. It didn't feel morbid when we discussed it. I have discussed it with my parents a few times, as well. My mom was surprised to learn that I am a registered organ donor, which I thought was odd.
Wonderful news! No golfing here, yet...still too much snow.
The state of Florida has one on their website that is a legal document you can print and use.
I have one from a relative who is an attorney if you need one you can use.
We may treat it like a fimly joke, by I'll print out living wills and pass them out. I found out 6 years ago that I DON't want certain family members in charge. After my husband died, I left the hospital and then his son took over, "No autopsy." It was the ol' macho, "he's been cut on enough..." Now we still don't know what really killed him. For all I know, it could have been a hospital nurse knocking off patients.
What do I want? I've told my kids to park me in front of a tv and wait on me hand and foot. Play my video tapes for me and do NOT get them in the wrong order.
Stupid 'jokes' like that can at least help break the ice when people need to talk about these subjects.
But the Florida Living Will form states only that you do NOT want life saving efforts. That is what they already have without the Living Will. What if you DO want life saving efforts? Does Florida have any form for that? I'll have to write and ask them myself, I guess.
You might not need a form in order to be specific. It seems to me (I am not a lawyer, I don't even play one on tv) that some of these forms can be used as a jumping off point. Write out whatever you feel is missing: Do you want to be kept fed and hydrated, etc. Have it notarized and additionally witnessed by a family member. Will it hold up in court? I honestly do not know.
There is an awful lot of money to be made by disallowing what I have suggested, no matter how concisely one writes out their wishes. You want an official form, accepted by state and federal forms? That'll be a $30 state fee and a $60 federal fee, ma'am. You want it drawn up by a professional? Think about taking out a second mortgage on your home, ma'am. (Referring to myself here--I am Ma'am in this scenario). Welcome to the culture of death. At the root of it is the love of money.
I don't think it a morbid discussion either.........in fact we had the discussion more than once going back several years.
Our wills also have very specific language regarding guardianship of our daughter...and I mean VERY.
Organ donor is an issue I have mixed feeling on. Don't get me wrong - I strongly believe in it....but smokers are heavily discriminated against both as donors and recipients. Until the anti-smoker mentality is changed I can't say I would be as willing, except in very special circumstances, as I was years ago. But as I said - I am torn on that issue.
I picked up a copy of the Illinois regs from my local hospital.
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