If I’m Doing a Living Will, What Kinds of Treatment Should I Discuss if I am in the End Stages of Life?
Some of the things that you will want to think about are:
- heart-lung resuscitation (CPR)
- mechanical ventilator (breathing machine)
- dialysis (kidney machine)
- surgery
- chemotherapy
- radiation treatment
- antibiotics
- tube feedings to be given for food
- tube feedings to be given for water
- do you want to be an organ donor?
You will always receive medical and nursing care to help make you more comfortable and pain medication to alleviate pain and suffering, unless you directed that you did not want any.
Remember, as long as you are able and competent to make your own medical decisions, you will be the one making them. Your agent will only be making medical decisions for you if you are physically or mentally unable to make your own decisions, and then they would be making those decisions in accordance with the guidance you give them in your living will or medical power of attorney.
