The Importance and Emotional Impact of a Living Will

A recent New York Times article tells the story of one man’s wishes regarding life-saving medical treatment.  The following excerpt captures the difficult situation that arose when the author disagreed with her father’s decision:

I know what I want: I want to stop the insane cycle of hospitalizations and heroic life-saving treatments. It is not helping my father. He is getting sicker. He is dying. . . .

I am acutely tempted to answer, “Of course not — my father would not want heroic measures.” But I hesitate because I know it might not be true. 

Assuring that one’s wishes regarding end-of-life treatment are followed is just one reason to have a living will.

See Alicia von Stamwitz,  An Ill Father, a Life-or-Death Decision, NY Times, Jan. 25, 2010.