Posted on 04/10/2011 5:35:48 AM PDT by BykrBayb
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Grand Junction proclaimed Monday as National Health Care Decisions Day, urging all citizens to make their health care wishes known through advance care planning for managing a serious illness, or end-of-life care.
Living wills and advance directives are documents that spell out your wishes if you should become incapacitated due to a medical crisis.
Millions of people began filling out living wills and advance directives after the 1976 Supreme Court case of Karen Ann Quinlan, whose parents battled with hospital staff who sought to keep Quinlan alive through artificial means, even though she had lapsed into a vegetative state and doctors had determined she would never recover. The Supreme Court eventually ruled in the parents favor, who said they wanted Karen to die with “grace and dignity.”
People who make their wishes known in advance can avoid situations like Quinlan's, and that of another woman — Terri Schiavo — who suffered a cardiac arrest, that led to a vegetative state lasting 15 years before her mechanical life support system was removed.
The Mesa County Advance Care Planning Task Force, a group of local organizations, is offering “Medical Decision Making in Colorado” workshops on how to plan for end-of-life care, Thursday and Saturday, April 14 and 16. The sessions are free.
The sessions will include communicating end-of-life wishes to loved ones, and how to appoint a health care power of attorney. There will also be new information regarding living wills and other advance directive documents.
St. Mary's Hospital is hosting Thursday's session, and Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado will host the Saturday workshop. Light refreshments will be provided.
Limited seating is available and reservations are required by calling Western Colorado 2-1-1.
GO&DO
What: Advance Care Planning Session - hosted by St. Mary's Hospital and Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado
When and Where: April 14 - St. Mary's Saccomanno Education Center, 2635 7th St. April 16 - Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, 3090 N. 12th St. Unit B, Room 102 Both sessions are 9-11 a.m.
Cost: Free
Info: Register before April 12 by calling Western Colorado 2-1-1
No, he's not. His pet issue is illegal immigration. He's all for it. He rarely weighs in on right to life issues, but when he does, he opposes it.
Really? Do you think he speaks "Dane-ish?"
;-)
He tried to lead me away from my original question to him which he refused to answer. I know better. And he never answered it.
He also believes anyone that’s educated is a leftist. He doesn’t belong on FR.
Anyone who spent a week on FR knows that it is populated with intelligent, well educated people. We aren't leftists because we are capable of thinking for ourselves. We even have a Professor from a University in Ohio. Professor Larry Schweikert is FReeper LS. Check out his FReep page. He occasionally offers free, autographed copies of his books to FReepers.
I'm going to be charitable and assume that Ben Ficklin suffers from long-term, untreated syphilis which has caused permanent brain damage. He should never have started hooking up guys in bus station bathrooms.
He should not be hated, but pitied. His crime is also his punishment; he IS Ben Ficklin.
And you're right. Ben needs our compassion. *ahem*
Oh yeah! He speaks Dane-ish with a passion unmatched. I think they’re married to each other in five states and the District of Columbia.
What's the conservative position on this? The way I learned it is that a man manages his death just like he manages his life. The last thing you should do is push these decisions off on your family members without some type of document to guide them.
As the lawyers say, the Schiavo affair brought the living will issues to the forefront. Everybody wants one because they don't want to be a pawn in your game. That is why this is a difficult issue for you. Nobody is listening to you
No, we don't. That's what eats away at you. That's why you made it mandatory that all hospitals have push them on their patients. That's why you have these seminars where vulnerable people are pressured into signing them. Because clearly you do not believe in letting us decide for ourselves.
Nobody forces you to fill out a living will. If you do have a living will, nobody forces you to give a copy to the hospital.
No. Everyone does NOT want one. And most people know exactly what their family’s wishes are. Further, a “living will” can be over ridden by a court as we have seen recently. It is the death cult that is foisting these on people. They are NOT “living wills”. What we NEED is to take away the leftists and the court’s “right” to kill people they believe are inconvenient.
One more time: FR's God-given Life & Liberty constitutional conservative activism agenda!!
One more time:
As a conservative site, Free Republic is pro-God, pro-life, pro-family, pro-Constitution, pro-Bill of Rights, pro-gun, pro-limited government, pro-private property rights, pro-limited taxes, pro-capitalism, pro-national defense, pro-freedom, and-pro America. We oppose all forms of liberalism, socialism, fascism, pacifism, totalitarianism, anarchism, government enforced atheism, abortionism, feminism, homosexualism, racism, wacko environmentalism, judicial activism, etc.
Didn't you say all educated people are leftists? Why would you care what us dumb conservatives believe?
The issue about Terri was that her husband murdered her. He received a settlement based on his statement that she would receive medical care and therapy. The moment he had the money, he had her cat put to sleep and their wedding rings melted down. He threatened physical violence towards a nurse who fed Terri Jello. He didn't want her to recover.
By the way, it's not that we want to make your decision. We just don't want you making our decisions.
Now, I have to agree with Corporal Ficklin on this one. He may have a history of obfuscating, but his very first post on this thread he made it abundantly clear where he stands. He's no friend to vulnerable people. You won't see him rushing to the defense of a little old lady being Schiavoed.
Learn to read, oh-so-overly-educated-one. I said the hospitals are forced to push them on their patients. You of all people must know that, since you obviously know everything there is to know about everything.
Nobody is forcing you. That's OK, push the decision off on your child.
I agree that we know EXACTLY where he stands on life. And he has CLEARLY voiced his opinion of conservatives.
You should fill out a living will that says you want to be hooked up to the machines.
Why don't you be a man and flat out answer the question that I asked you instead of dancing around it like a lefty?
Do you believe that you have the right to decide who is deserving of life?
Terri Schiavo wasn’t hooked up to a machine.
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