Both of my parents had very specific advanced directives. Pages of details and situations. When my father had a major stroke, it was very helpful when the hospital followed every instruction.
Unfortunately, for my mother, the nursing home she was in, forgot she had one. So when she had issues breathing, they put her on oxygen instead of letting her go. She survived but was unable to speak and struggled to understand and respond for the last three weeks of her life. It was a tough three weeks for all of us. She suffered with mental health issues for most of her life, so her passing was both sad but a blessing.
I have mine and my doctor has a copy. I don't want my children to go through that again.
Good for you! I'm sorry to hear about your mother's situation. Mine had a stroke in December - lost the ability to speak or swallow, which was a huge problem, as she was unable to take her parkinson's meds. I was able to prevent them from transferring her to the hospital, where they would have intubated her and provided the 'life-saving' feeding tube. Her last days weren't great, but at least she was surrounded by family and gentle caregivers who knew her well.
Important topic, Tree. Thank you for writing about this.
you're welcome. Thanks for reading it.
Funny, I've thought about this lately for myself, and you've written about it. Such helpful details, my friend!
Hey, it's a reality that kind of hits hard, but it's good to take care of these details.
Such an important topic! I have mine, and several people have a copy of it. It is similar to yours.
good for you! Many people are so uncomfortable talking about this topic - they don't do anything and it makes it difficult for their family
Both of my parents had very specific advanced directives. Pages of details and situations. When my father had a major stroke, it was very helpful when the hospital followed every instruction.
Unfortunately, for my mother, the nursing home she was in, forgot she had one. So when she had issues breathing, they put her on oxygen instead of letting her go. She survived but was unable to speak and struggled to understand and respond for the last three weeks of her life. It was a tough three weeks for all of us. She suffered with mental health issues for most of her life, so her passing was both sad but a blessing.
I have mine and my doctor has a copy. I don't want my children to go through that again.
Good for you! I'm sorry to hear about your mother's situation. Mine had a stroke in December - lost the ability to speak or swallow, which was a huge problem, as she was unable to take her parkinson's meds. I was able to prevent them from transferring her to the hospital, where they would have intubated her and provided the 'life-saving' feeding tube. Her last days weren't great, but at least she was surrounded by family and gentle caregivers who knew her well.