Memory of Taking Part as a Member Of a 'Death Panel'

[The Straight Story]

Memory of Taking Part as a Member Of a 'Death Panel'

Former Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin's statements about the "death panels" in President Barack Obama's health-reform plan made me realize I was once a member of such a panel as described in the legislation.

This particular panel was made up of my brother and me. We realized our parents were in what is now termed the "end of life" phase. Neither of us knew what our parents' wishes were.

As it is described in the proposed legislation, we sat our parents down with blank living wills and as best we could helped them answer the series of questions. The questions were detailed and painful both for us to ask, and for them to answer.

I remember how surprised my father was to learn his wife of more than 50 years wanted to be cremated. When she stated her reasons, he agreed that would be best for him also. They hadn't even discussed these things with each other.

As each of them slipped away, there was no question as to what level of care they wanted and what final arrangements they preferred. It was all in their living wills. Since then, my brother, my wife, and I have each created our own living wills.

Still, I'm not sure how Gov. Palin or others aping her criticism can call this a death panel. The proposed legislation simply allows for payment for medical personnel to assist those on Medicare to put their final wishes in writing.

JOE MIDZALKOWSKI

http://www.theledger.com/article/20090823/NEWS/908235016/1398?Title=Memory-of-Taking-Part-as-a-Member-Of-a-Death-Panel-

[A Brand New World]

1. My husband and I experienced first hand the importance of a

Living Will two years ago. His mother was 86 and had been in ill health for 10 years, since her husband died. She was in a nursing home. She'd had a Living Will for 10 years. She went into the hospital ER for rectal bleeding and was transferred to another hospital for a colonoscopy. During the night, before the colonoscopy, she became very agitated and had a heart attack, was in a coma and was put on a ventilator. The nurses called us in the middle of night to tell us of this.

That's when we found out that the nursing home had not sent her Living Will along, in which she had expressly stated that she wanted no ventilator. The real battle began. She never recovered from the heart attack, developed MRSA pneumonia, and could not breath without the ventilator. The hospital had certain protocol regarding the ventilator and could not just turn it off, even though the Living Will had been presented. After three weeks, they eventually were able to wean her off the ventilator and onto a C-PAP and then off that. But she never regained consciousness so of course could not eat or take medications. Because of her express instructions in the Living Will, we knew that she did not want a ventilator, a feeding tube or long term heroic measures. She was then transferred back to the hospital and onto hospice and died in a week.

But, without the Living Will, my husband and I would really have been torn as to what to do. It was horrific enough as it was to be on this "Death Panel". But we knew her wishes and felt that the Living Will was our guidline in order to do what was best for her.