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I was watching the news tonight and the sad story of the death of Natasha Richardson was in the headlines. A doctor who was interviewed said one good thing that may come of this tragedy is that people will be more aware of the importance of wearing a helmet when participating in sports.

I think there’s some other good that may come of this. No one wants to talk about their own demise, but it’s so important to let your loved ones know what your health care wishes are in the event that you can’t speak for yourself. There are two documents that everyone should have – a Living Will and a Health Care Proxy. A Living Will states what your medical wishes are in the event that you can’t speak for yourself – do you want to be put on a ventilator, be an organ donor, etc. A Health Care Proxy names the person you want to make your healthcare decisions for you if you are unable.

Most of us are afraid to imagine our own death and talk about it with our friends and family. It’s so very important, though. What if you were seriously injured and the physician told your family that there was no hope of survival and asked if you should be removed from a ventilator? Would you want your loved ones to have to agonize over that decision? I can’t imagine anyone who would.

Think about what you want – it doesn’t matter. These are YOUR wishes. It’s OK if you want to be kept alive, no matter what. It’s also OK if you want someone to let you go. The most important thing is to put it in writing and to pick a person you trust to follow your wishes. Some states have these documents on-line that you can print and fill out – check with your state health department.

Some may argue that these documents aren’t iron clad. Sure, anything can be argued in court. You can have a well-meaning relative who complicates things, but, more often, these documents are followed and are a relief to those left behind.

In the US, it seems we’re afraid to talk about dying & death. In other cultures, it’s considered a natural part of the circle of life. It’s not the happiest thing to talk about, but it’s so important to be honest. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give the people you love.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 8:58 pm and is filed under Life & Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.