In many nursing homes now, they have a detailed sheet in the front of what you want, and what you don't want as far as heroic measures, hydration, IV's, vents, tubes etc.
Also,
you'd be AMAZED at the number of eldery who want full codes! Which is their right. We assume they would all want DNR's, but that isn't the case.
And I've seen DNR's reversed after a trip to the hospital and overhearing the staff say things like "Goodie! A DNR! We don't have to do a thing!".
The elderly ain't fools, they know there are those who see them valueless.
What is the difference between the hospice doctor ordering Roxanol and his patients die and the lone nurse who takes it upon herself to poison her patients and her patients die?
>you'd be AMAZED at the number of eldery who want full codes! Which is their right. We assume they would all want DNR's, but that isn't the case
(I'm sorry, but I can't figure out how to make italics in this post editing window on internet explorer. I copied it to word and made it italics and cut and pasted it but it still doesn't look italicized)
I'm amazed that we can breeze by that statement -- "We assume they would all want DNRS". That is the problem. We assume people don't want to live. We should assume people WANT to live unless they tell us otherwise.
You shouldn't be in danger of having your life ended because you didn't take the time to say you wanted to keep living.
I'm really not surprised alot of elderly don't want a dnr. My Mom didn't (she wasn't elderly but she had terminal kidney cancer).
I'm not sure I would either, as I don't really think I want a stranger making that decision at that moment. I used to think the whole medical profession was all about compassion, but after reading alot of posts by nurses on internet sites during the Terri Schiavo case, I have changed my mind.
susie
That proves the point that you can make decisions when you are 50 for what you think you want at 80 - but when 80 gets here, you are not that unhappy and still want to live.
People forget that what we enjoyed at 20 we would detest at 30, 50 likes .........but 70 wants ...........
We seek a comfort level at any age or circumstance. If it hurts, we don't like doing that. We like doing this instead.
Again, why you can't turn life and death decisions over to man. Man has no more wisdom than what he thinks at that state of life he is in. He has no idea of what another "wants" at a different stage and has no right to take their decision away from them.
Man is also not God who has all wisdom, all love and is Master of His plan. Man is subject to greed, hate, revenge, and is totally selfish. Some are good, some are evil and we give the right of life and death to the selfish, evil, manipulators as well as to loving relatives.