Help Your Family By Signing A Living Will

By Dr. W. Gifford Jones

February 2, 2003

How many times have we all said, "I must do that one of these days". Yet, all to often, one of these days, means none of these days. Procrastinating about some things may mean a bit of an inconvenience later on. But failure to sign a "Living Will" in 2003 can result in much needless suffering.

Living Wills are advance directives. They inform family members what you want done if you're too ill to speak for yourself. But most people fail to sign one. In many ways this is understandable as few people want to think or talk about their eventual demise.

One problem is that people have seen too many Hollywood deaths. But not many people die the way they are portrayed on film. All to often death is a long, slow downhill course associated with increasing pain.

There's also a myth about what a Living Will includes. For instance, many people think a Living Will deals strictly with cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A document that states they do not want this procedure done if their heart suddenly stops during terminal illness.

But many other aspects must be covered by the Living Will. You may not want antibiotics prescribed if pneumonia strikes at the end of life. Or to be kept on a ventilator if you can no longer breath by yourself. Or given blood transfusions or fed through a tube if this simply prolongs life. The message should be loud and clear that life at any cost is not your choice. Others may say they want all these things done whatever the price to pay for living longer.

A Living Will is not a legal document with 100 percent guarantees. But with a signed Living Will you have a better chance of having your last wishes carried out.

Recently I was involved with a relative who was terminally ill. He was not a Roman Catholic, but had been admitted to St. Michael's hospital in Toronto. Several days later he lapsed into coma and required total life-support systems. What happened in this case shows that even without a Living Will family members can be a safe-guard against prolonged agony. But there's one catch.

I was apprehensive that a Roman Catholic hospital would offer little hope of terminating life-support systems. Particularly since a Living Will was not available. But I was wrong.

So what happened? First, I was tremendously impressed with the quality of care rendered. The media are constantly full of what's wrong with our ailing health care system. But this patient could not have received better and more dedicated care.

What equally impressed me was the unanimous common sense decision to stop life-support. In the end all the family members, intensive care physicians and hospital Chaplin gathered in the intensive care unit.

The doctors gave their combined opinion that everything possible had been done and that in their opinion there was no hope of life. But they stressed that life-support could be continued if the family wished.

The doctors and Chaplin then asked each family member to express their thoughts on what should be done. And, from their knowledge of the patient, what he would have wanted if he were able to partake in this discussion.

It was the unanimous and unhesitating decision of the family to end life-support. The Chaplain later informed us it was refreshing to talk with a family in such agreement. If only one person had questioned this decision the useless treatment would have been continued. It was obvious the Chaplain had faced other situations where family members had been unable to reach a decision.

No one knows when sickness or an accident will make it impossible to tell care-givers what we want done in a critical situation. I've signed the Gifford-Jones Living Will which leaves no doubt that I do not want heroic, extraordinary measures to prolong life.

The Gifford-Jones Living Will can be obtained by sending a self-addressed envelop to Dr. Gifford-Jones, First Canadian Medical Centre, 1 First Canadian Place, P. O. Box 119, Toronto, Ontario, M5X 1A4, plus $5.00 to cover the cost. giffordjones@sympatico.ca

W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com

My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:

Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1

Pre-2008 articles by Gifford Jones

Canada Free Press, CFP Editor Judi McLeod