Who Decides Your Care When You Can't

What are your wishes if you are unable to make decisions about your health? Who is making the decision(s)? If you're unable to regain consciousness do you want "the plug pulled?" What if the circumstance are 50-50 that you'll go back to your normal way of life?

Do you have a living will? Are you able to understand all that is involved with a living will? It can be complicated but the basic understanding is, if something happens to me and I can't make a medical decision regarding my health (for whatever that maybe) what do I want done.

"Pennsylvania's Supreme Court has ruled against family members who wanted to end the life of a man with mental disabilities."

David Hockenberry, has had acute mental disabilities all his life, came down with pneumonia and was hospitalized. His parents decided that this was too much for David and that treatment should be stopped.

"The court ruled that state law requires life-preserving treatment for people who are not near death and have not refused treatment."

David recovered in a few weeks.

Is there more to the story? Possibly. For good or bad, his parents, thought he would be better off dying than getting healthy. We can only speculate, perhaps they could no longer take care of him (if that's the case.) Maybe they don't know that there are services out there to help.

Everyone that can make a decision on their health before they're unable to should take note, how do you want your life to play out? How long do you wish to continue life if you'll never awaken and can not live without life support?

Decisions like these are never easy. However, they should be made now, when you're able to decide before your loved ones are asked, 'What would ____ want me to do?'

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