My Living Will States That I Do Not Want a Ventilator; Does This Affect My Options if I Get COVID-19?
By Landon Hodges, Esq.
In these unusual days of COVID-19, working from home, and avoiding social contact, one particular medical device is receiving much more attention than normal: the ventilator. Essentially, a ventilator is a machine that can breathe for you by forcing oxygen into the lungs and pulling it out again if you are unable to do it on your own. As a respiratory illness, several patients suffering from COVID-19 require the use of a ventilator for treatment.
It is common language in a Living Will that, in the event your Living Will is activated, you do not want to be put on a ventilator and want to be allowed to pass away naturally. One question that immediately comes to mind with all the talk about ventilators in the news is “does this language prevent my doctor from using a ventilator to treat me if I have COVID-19 symptoms?” The short answer is that this language in your Living Will will not, in almost all cases, prevent your doctor from using a ventilator to treat you for COVID-19.
Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak Launches New Podcast Channel, Newly-Branded Podcast
Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak, an elder law firm with offices in Williamsport and State College, Pa., has launched a new podcast channel as well as a newly-named and rebranded podcast. The newly rebranded podcast is named "Second Half of Life Podcast," and it explores the many issues and topics related to elder law - the wide range of legal matters affecting people in their second half of life and individuals with disabilities.
New episodes can be accessed on the Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and TuneIn + Alexa. Additional podcast directories will also be added in the coming days and weeks.
The first episode is titled "Managing a Healthcare Crisis." Firm founder Julie Steinbacher talks about options for people to get good care and protect their assets in the event of an unexpected health care crisis such as a bad fall, stroke, dementia diagnosis or other unexpected illness that creates an unexpected need for rehab or nursing home care.
COVID-19 a Reminder of Importance of Advance Care Planning
National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is held on April 16 each year. It exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and healthcare providers about the importance of advance care planning. The NHDD initiative encourages patients to express their wishes regarding healthcare, and providers and facilities to respect those wishes, whatever they may be. NHDD was founded in 2008 to provide clear, concise, and consistent information on healthcare decision-making to both the public and providers through the widespread availability and dissemination of simple, free, and uniform materials and content to guide the process.
It is somewhat ironic that NHDD will occur this year during a worldwide pandemic. As a result, during this unprecedented time of social distancing and other mitigation measures, many NHDD-related events have been cancelled. Still, advance care planning remains as important as ever. The ongoing COVID-19 crisis serves as a reminder of the importance of doing advance planning should you ever be stricken with an illness or medical condition that could render you incapable of making an important decision about your own care.
“It is essential for people to consider who would speak for them if they became unable to make their own decisions when they are very sick,” said Dr. Alexander Nesbitt, a geriatrician at UPMC Susquehanna. “It’s also important to consider and communicate preferences about care that would be wanted. National Healthcare Decisions Day is an opportunity to consider, discuss and document what you do or don’t want.”
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