SCHIAVO CASE SHEDS LIGHT ON IMPORTANCE OF END-OF-LIFE PLANNING
Monday, March 21st, 2005 -- 2:28 PM
Regardless of where you stand on the Terry Schiavo case, the debate over the Florida woman?s plight has brought Living Wills and Power of Attorney documents to the fore.Doctors say the severely brain-damaged woman is in a vegetative state and will never recover. Her feeding tube was removed last week, beginning a contentious weekend of political wrangling.
Terry?s husband Michael doesn?t want the feeding tube reinserted. Her parents have been fighting to keep their daughter alive.
But no one knows what Terry wants.
Mary Sladich of the Clark County Office on Aging says a Power of Attorney or Living Will document can prevent painful end-of-life family battles.
She says the Power of Attorney document offers more options.
"A 'Living Will' is a document where the person gives the physician the right to make a decision when they are declared incompetent by two physicians," Sladich says, "'The Power Attorney for Healthcare' (allows you) to give someone whom you love or you trust the ability to make those decisions on your behalf."
"(Power of Attorney) is much more spelled out. There are step-by-step instructions that go with it," Sladich says, adding the Power of Attorney offers the person more options to direct their caregivers.
Sladich says a little family discussion and planning could prevent the gut-wrenching ordeal that Terry Schiavo?s family is experiencing.
"If the family is torn apart, the doctors are going to do everything they can to keep you alive. They aren't going to be caught in the middle. But if the document is in place, you have given instructions to what you do or you don't want and that's usually what is followed," Sladich says.
Mary?s office has the documents on hand and will help people over 60 fill them out for free, but Sladich recommends people of all ages fill out the documents.
There is a separate Power of Attorney document for finances.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.