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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 3-page paper discussses the concepts of advanced directives and living wills, and discusses what a living will is comprised of. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_MTlivwil.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
fell ill and was unable to communicate his or her wishes to a physician, the next of kin would decide that patients fate. And, more often than not, the patient
would be kept alive for as long as possible until the inevitable process of death took over. However, as technology has improved medicine
to the point that machines can sustain life indefinitely, even if patients are deep in comas or terminally ill, some patients, wanting to spare their families the expense and trauma
of remaining on life support when there is no hope have written directives informing physicians what types of care they requires if theyre not in any shape to make any
specific decisions (Hanson, 1997). Thanks to the Patient Self-Determination Act, which was implemented in 1991, patients have some say over what should happen to them in the event they cant
make decisions for themselves (Jacobson et al, 1994). The most commonly employed directives of these types are living will, and durable powers of
attorney when it comes to health care (Hanson, 1997). Without such instruments, families of those who are ill and unable to describe what they want often face long periods of
time during which their loved ones are kept artificially alive, or they have to face months of litigation for permission to turn off life support.
Living wills are fairly self-explanatory - these are wills that patients fill out when theyre in their right mind, and they provide detailed instructions as to what should
happen to the patient if he or she becomes terminally ill, permanently unconscious or remains conscious, but suffers from brain damage (Hanson, 1997). Durable power of attorney, on the other
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