You should be thinking about 'living wills' and 'physician directives' in order to guide your family members and physicians on how you wish them to act on your behalf when you can no longer make decisions for yourself. While you are in good health, decide what medical intervention you want undertaken on your behalf in case of serious illness or accident. Record your wishes unambiguously in a living will. Even though living wills and directives to physicians are not legally binding, they are helpful in guiding your physician in case you fall seriously ill. Reviewing these documents with your physician in advance has the added benefit of finding out his attitude towards the care of the terminally ill.
Intensive care is almost always invasive.
You must decide if your loved one's pain and suffering are ultimately worth the effort. Often the decisions regarding the care of the gravely ill are clouded by the intensity of the psychological grief that the family is experiencing. Guilt almost always plays a part in how family members feel when dealing with critically ill loved ones. It is natural to wonder what more we could have done and to blame ourselves for any past conflicts we may have had with a dying person. It is important to ensure that these feelings and emotions do not interfere with rational decision making about how aggressive one should be with regard to the prolongation of medical care.