Perhaps we need a law to make it a crime for a medical doctor or other health care professional to ignore Advanced Care Directives. But most of all, I feel we need to educate ourselves and our families with respect to death and our wishes. As a patient advocate, I will support your wishes whenever I am legally able as long as you make your wishes known to me. Please help me educate others as to the realities of life support in order that we may together ensure happy endings for each other and those within our care. Any information in this article pertaining to legal or medical matters is not to be construed as professional advice.
Copyrights remain the property of the authors.
Shirley Eileen Fitzgerald is a Registered Nurse with 18 years of experience including oncology, critical care, trauma, geriatric and long term care nursing. For more information you may visit her website.