Morality is not determined by the church you attend nor the faith you embrace. It is determined by the quality of your character and the positive impact you have on those you meet along your journey
Keith speaks the truth. We are going through something similar with my father and I am fortunate to know my father's wishes and the boundaries he set. I am in for several months of making decisions for him if he is fortunate to make it through this bad spell and happy to do it because I know exactly what his wishes are.
Oh, my...Keith can say more intelligent things in five minutes than Rush, Sarah and their ilk can in a year of rants.
I would LOVE to see Rush go to Costa Rica, or anywhere that is NOT HERE.
HAVE A LIVING WILL! It is nothing to be afraid of. It is a gift you give yourself and your loved ones. I am the designated decision person for my best friend because she does not trust her own four children to agree on what she would want were she unable to make decisions for herself. One child is entirely against a living will because she believes the matter "should be in God's hands." Two think a living will puts DOCTORS in charge of the decision making. I'm not sure about the fourth one because he chooses not to weigh in on the matter.
My friend trusts me because I had the final decision on what was right for my mother. Fortunately, Mom and I had discussed it many times, and, as I said to the doctor when he told me my choices, "If I did that, my mother would snatch me bald."
She died peacefully four days after two severe strokes. She was almost eighty-six and would NEVER have recovered. I did the right thing. I have NO regrets.
I've had a living will for over ten years, as does my spouse and both sets of parents. It's a little difficult to fill out---in the same way it's hard to make out a regular will. No one really likes to contemplate being incapacitated or dying and leaving your children without a parent, but it must be done.
Once it's done, it is such a relief. And it has proven so useful (and comforting) in more than one life-threatening situation invovling one of our parents and even myself a few years ago.
If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your loved ones who will have some comfort in knowing that the decisions they make will be the ones you want them to make.
A living will and someone with medical power of attorney is so important. My mother was recently in the hospital and then and a nursing home, then back to the hospital, a return to the nursing home and then, finally, Thank God! Back home with us after a 3 month period of this.
It all started with what I suspected was a UTI, urinary tract infection, which can often cause confusion in the elderly. However, because her initial Urinalysis was negative, she was only treated for the confusion, with a couple physicians telling me she had Alzheimers (according to them, it magically appeared overnight or it had been coming on and I missed it) which was ridiculous and I knew it. I'm a Nurse Practitioner and my Mother has lived with me since my father passed away four years ago. She still was driving herself to the bank, doctor's appts., hairdresser, etc. with no noticeable memory lapses or changes in mental status that we had noticed. Yet the stupid physicians paraded in and out with a psychiatrist starting her on 3 different anti-psychotic medications at the same time. She was not having psychotic episodes, she was just confused. They also told me they repeated the Urinalysis, but they hadn't. I called in another doctor, told her what was going on and asked her to start there. Lo and behold, she had a UTI that was resistant to certain medications and would take 10 to 14 days to really clear up, her mental status became clearer, although she had to be discharged to the nursing home while she was being weaned off all the psychiatric meds even though I had been told they were discontinued, they hadn't been. If my Mother hadn't had a living will with me named as a patient advocate to speak for her when she was unable, she'd be in a nursing home loaded up with antipsychotic medications in full blown delirium by now. If they had repeated the Urinalysis, it would have been caught a month earlier and saved Medicare and BC/BS tens of thousands of dollars in care.
Please take care of this for anyone in your family, including yourself, no matter your age. There are forms available online that you can download, discuss with your family and doctor and then have notarized. Keep a copy for yourself, one for a couple different family members, one for your doctor or doctors and another in a safety deposit box. It was invaluable for my Mother and also when my Dad passed away. Knowing someone's wishes makes it so much easier on the family. I've seeen far too many families fighting about what to do when someone is seriously ill. It can all be easily avoided.
Keith speaks the truth. We are going through something similar with my father and I am fortunate to know my father's wishes and the boundaries he set. I am in for several months of making decisions for him if he is fortunate to make it through this bad spell and happy to do it because I know exactly what his wishes are.
ReplyDeleteseattlefan
Good news that KO's father has opened his eyes. I hope the prognosis will be good.
ReplyDeleteI just have to say it: Sarah Palin and her filthy lying sack of shit, and I hope when the axe falls on her, it falls hard.
Oh, my...Keith can say more intelligent things in five minutes than Rush, Sarah and their ilk can in a year of rants.
ReplyDeleteI would LOVE to see Rush go to Costa Rica, or anywhere that is NOT HERE.
HAVE A LIVING WILL! It is nothing to be afraid of. It is a gift you give yourself and your loved ones. I am the designated decision person for my best friend because she does not trust her own four children to agree on what she would want were she unable to make decisions for herself. One child is entirely against a living will because she believes the matter "should be in God's hands." Two think a living will puts DOCTORS in charge of the decision making. I'm not sure about the fourth one because he chooses not to weigh in on the matter.
My friend trusts me because I had the final decision on what was right for my mother. Fortunately, Mom and I had discussed it many times, and, as I said to the doctor when he told me my choices, "If I did that, my mother would snatch me bald."
She died peacefully four days after two severe strokes. She was almost eighty-six and would NEVER have recovered. I did the right thing. I have NO regrets.
I've had a living will for over ten years, as does my spouse and both sets of parents. It's a little difficult to fill out---in the same way it's hard to make out a regular will. No one really likes to contemplate being incapacitated or dying and leaving your children without a parent, but it must be done.
ReplyDeleteOnce it's done, it is such a relief. And it has proven so useful (and comforting) in more than one life-threatening situation invovling one of our parents and even myself a few years ago.
If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your loved ones who will have some comfort in knowing that the decisions they make will be the ones you want them to make.
Keith has provided the push; my job, and Mr. B's, to respond. Living wills coming right up!
ReplyDeleteA living will and someone with medical power of attorney is so important. My mother was recently in the hospital and then and a nursing home, then back to the hospital, a return to the nursing home and then, finally, Thank God! Back home with us after a 3 month period of this.
ReplyDeleteIt all started with what I suspected was a UTI, urinary tract infection, which can often cause confusion in the elderly. However, because her initial Urinalysis was negative, she was only treated for the confusion, with a couple physicians telling me she had Alzheimers (according to them, it magically appeared overnight or it had been coming on and I missed it) which was ridiculous and I knew it. I'm a Nurse Practitioner and my Mother has lived with me since my father passed away four years ago. She still was driving herself to the bank, doctor's appts., hairdresser, etc. with no noticeable memory lapses or changes in mental status that we had noticed. Yet the stupid physicians paraded in and out with a psychiatrist starting her on 3 different anti-psychotic medications at the same time. She was not having psychotic episodes, she was just confused. They also told me they repeated the Urinalysis, but they hadn't. I called in another doctor, told her what was going on and asked her to start there. Lo and behold, she had a UTI that was resistant to certain medications and would take 10 to 14 days to really clear up, her mental status became clearer, although she had to be discharged to the nursing home while she was being weaned off all the psychiatric meds even though I had been told they were discontinued, they hadn't been. If my Mother hadn't had a living will with me named as a patient advocate to speak for her when she was unable, she'd be in a nursing home loaded up with antipsychotic medications in full blown delirium by now. If they had repeated the Urinalysis, it would have been caught a month earlier and saved Medicare and BC/BS tens of thousands of dollars in care.
Please take care of this for anyone in your family, including yourself, no matter your age. There are forms available online that you can download, discuss with your family and doctor and then have notarized. Keep a copy for yourself, one for a couple different family members, one for your doctor or doctors and another in a safety deposit box. It was invaluable for my Mother and also when my Dad passed away. Knowing someone's wishes makes it so much easier on the family. I've seeen far too many families fighting about what to do when someone is seriously ill. It can all be easily avoided.