My
Death Panel
This
blog entry is respectfully dedicated to Sarah Palin who was for ‘Death Panels’
before she was against them. In
the rush to criticize the efforts of President Obama in his push toward the
passage of the Affordable Care Act, Ms. Palin raged against the inclusion of
coverage of physician-patient contacts for the discussion of how one wanted
his/her death circumstances to be handled. In an article in this morning’s New York Times, this very
topic is discussed in detail. What
follows is an excerpt from that article by John Wasik;
“Do your most important planning
early,” said Laurie Siebert, a certified financial planner with Valley National
Financial Advisors in Bethlehem, Pa. “Complete your estate planning documents,
including a will, power of attorney, advance directives and a living will.
There’s not a lot of control from the grave, but a trust may help, if needed.
Do your planning today.” In the written directions you provide your family, you
may also want to include grave site or mortuary information, funeral directions
and provisions on how you want to pay for your memorial. Do you want specific
music played or pictures displayed? Are there past events or accomplishments
you want your survivors to remember?
Most important, Ms. Carlson noted, is to discuss with your family what
you don’t want in your final moments and beyond. Many severely disabled people
do not want to be kept alive if they have experienced extensive loss of control
over their bodies. Death with dignity is also a subject to be aired in family
meetings. “If I’m totally
dependent upon someone else,” Ms. Carlson said, “my sense of self will
evaporate. My time is up at that point. I will be looking forward to the other
side — and coming back.” Although death planning may be one of the most difficult things
you will do, it is one final act of self-determination. You may not have
control over your last minutes on earth or how you will be remembered, but you
can certainly guide your survivors on how you want to be treated and
memorialized.”