All she heard was "CODE"!  Her shoes squeaked against the tile floor beneath her, as she sprinted down the hallway to room 118.  She pushed open the door with the crash cart she had been dragging behind her.  The regular crowd had already gathered in the room with all the needed supplies to revive the patient.  There in the bed laid a 95 year old woman, her fragile body barely forming a mound beneath the covers.  "Call the family", someone shouts.  She runs to the phone and dials the number.  "It is 3 AM, I hope they answer", she thinks to herself.  A groggy "Hello" is muttered through the line.  As briefly as possible she explains the situation.  "Sir, what do you want done for your mother?"

 

This is an all too familiar scene, says Cecila Goforth, RN, retired, Nursing Supervisor.  "I have seen it a thousand times throughout my nursing career", she said.  "These poor seniors go into Cardiac Arrest while in the hospital. You call the family in the middle of the night and they do not know what to do. Most of the time they have never discussed their mother's or father's end of life wishes with them."   Goforth explains that this conversation is vital because having to make this type of decision in a split second in the middle of the night is never easy.  She also explained that most people, outside of the healthcare profession, do not understand the damage that can be caused to their loved one's body by reviving them. "Their bodies are usually fragile and weak".   "It can actually be quite painful for the patient and often if their heart begins to pump again they may never regain consciousness", "From a nurse's point of view, we often feel that by reviving a seriously ill senior patient we are only prolonging their suffering instead of letting them escape their agony peacefully".

 

Most of us are not comfortable discussing or even thinking about death in general and having to think or discuss our own death is out of the question.  Darlene Alley, Community Educator, at Abby Hospice in Covington experiences these types of discussions almost daily through her work.  Ms. Alley also shares the opinion that these conversations are vital to families.  It is important not to place the burden of making such a decision on a family member at the most sensitive hour.  Darlene explains that often placing such a decision on a family member without them knowing the patients wishes can cause life long feelings of guilt and great strife within a family.  All hospices are required by law to discuss options with patients upon enrollment in hospice.  Options included:  DNR or do not resuscitate orders, Living wills, and Power of attorney for healthcare.  Ms. Alley stressed that the Power of Attorney for Healthcare (POAHC) is the most important pre-planned decision you can make.  A POAHC is someone who can make healthcare decisions for you in the event you are unable to do so for yourself.  Darlene said that she would encourage people to talk with a Elder Law Specialist to become well informed of all available options.  "It is a good idea to talk with someone who specializes in this type of law.  Your wishes may not be followed in all circumstances there are always legal loop holes and doctors and hospitals must cover themselves in all situations", she said.

 

I think we can all agree that this is not such an easy topic to broach with someone you love and cannot imagine your life without, however; love is the very reason that we must communicate our wishes with our family.  None of us would want to leave someone we love with the burden of making that decision for us in a crunch.  Abby Hospice offers resources within the community to help families facilitate these discussions and to make informed decisions about advanced directives.  They also have a great do-it-yourself living will called 5 wishes.  If you would like more information about their services you can visit their website at www.abbyhospice.com.  As always you can also find help online.  One good website I visited is www.nolo.com.  Please talk with your loved ones about their wishes before you hear the question at 3AM "Sir, what do want done for your mother?".   Abby Hospice is a member of the Walton Wellness Coalition.  If you have any questions or would like more information about Walton Wellness please contact DeDe Harris wdtconsulting@monroeaccess.net or 770-856-1251