Somber Thoughts

[lagilman]

Yesterday I went to visit a friend who has been hospitalized for more than a week with a yet-undiagnosed illness  (they're ruled out most of the truly terrifying things, but not-knowing takes its own toll).  I was reminded, quite starkly, of my own week's+ hospitalization nearly 20 years ago, and my recent stint in the hospital with my dad, at his life-end.

There are many things you don't think about, or don't consider urgent to have done, until you're stuck in a hospital bed. Life decisions that you might not be able to make, in an emergency.

Think about them now.  Get them in writing.  Get them witnessed/notarized, and then make sure that people know where this information is on file, in case you're not able to tell them in an emergency.

Yeah, we think we don't need any of this, not until we're older.  Except emergencies and catastrophies don't GAF how old you are.

Comments

[madrobins]

One of the peculiar side effects of having kids is that (if you have brain one) you do this stuff early. Because not only do you want your wishes respected about your body and how it's managed, but you want to make sure your kids don't wind up being raised by wolves or Hare Krishnas or Libertarians. So you get the paperwork done early.

We should probably revise the paperwork, given that the young are no longer so young that they might be put into foster care or given to my brother to raise, but the essentials are on paper. Increasingly, this is a relief.

[chickwriter.livejournal.com]

It's a tough thing to think about, but yeah, so important.

After losing my friend last December to cancer (she was my age), I finally did the whole will, living will, power of attorney, etc.

I started a Google doc that's shared with my sister of who to contact in case of emergencies - including my work, my various publishers, banks, etc.

Sobering thing, but I feel a lot better for having done it.

[editrx.livejournal.com]

Every hospital in the US has forms for what is called Advance Directives. I used to work hospice care, and urged everyone I knew that the next time they passed their local hospital, to get one of these, fill it out (they're simplified deliberately), and witnessed in whatever office has them (usually where the social workers are, though the ER also has them usually).

Fill out an Advance Directive for EVERY HOSPITAL IN YOUR CITY OR TOWN. You never know where you may be takrn in an emergency. If you're travelling and taken in somewhere, ask for a social worker and their Advance Directives forms.

I can't repeat how critical having these in place can be.

(And by the way, I hope she was looking a bit better. Been following along. We're old friends, as I know you know.)

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's a good idea. They will go through the DNR stuff if you're hospitalised for certain conditions or are elderly anyway, but a living will is a good plan. We all had to re-do our wills after my father's death.