Terri Schiavo's struggle brought much attention to living wills. But how did Americans act based on all of that attention?
A column in USA Today suggests that millions of Americans may have sought more information about such advance directives after the Schiavo story. But the story also suggests that many people haven't executed the directives, while others have filled out the paperwork but then didn't let loved ones or caregivers know about it, or didn't talk about it with people who need to know.
That certainly diminishes the chances that one's wishes will be followed in the last days of life. And other research suggests that even people who have done everything correctly in executing directives might not have their wishes followed in a crisis.
Finally, although it's not part of the article, you could raise many questions about what kind of education most people receive about what to put in an advance directive. Do they know the terminology? Do they know the actual scenarios that might arise? Have they addressed those scenarios properly? Do they put meaningless directives in writing?
As the article suggests, the problem of proper living wills and advance directives is far from solved.
Posted by schwitz at April 4, 2006 08:32 AM | TrackBack