End-of-Life Issues

Although health care in this country has made it possible for Americans to live longer and more active lives well into their later senior years, serious illness and death are as much a part of life as birth and living. With old age come chronic illnesses and serious diseases. Most of these can be treated with good medical care, but often they cannot be cured. When a loved one becomes ill with a serious and incurable disease, Americans often rely on the same support systems that they depended on during earlier, happier times; family and friends.

As we age, many people begin to think about planning for these end-of-life issues. Family and friends can help by talking about the choices to be made. Very often a person will want to prepare a living will while he is still healthy. This allows the person to make choices now about what care he wants to have if he becomes seriously ill. For example, some people may decide that if their heart stops, they do not want medical professionals to make it start again. This is known as a DNR order. The living will is a legal document that must be followed. In the living will, a person can make very clear what medical procedures he will allow.

A person can also create a legal document called Power of Attorney that will allow another person to make all medical decisions. If someone is so sick that she cannot express herself, then the person she chooses will make decisions about health care. This person is usually a family member or a friend who knows exactly what the person's wishes are. For someone facing the end of life, hospice care provides comfort and many services. A team of people will come to the home and make sure that the dying person is as comfortable as possible. The most important thing they hope to do is be sure the dying person has the best quality of life in the time he has left. The team includes doctors and nurses who will supervise any medical care. Most health insurance plans will cover hospice care.

This isn't always an easy or happy subject to bring up, but it's an important one that will make things easier when a serious illness happens.