Seniors in India Should Have a Living Will
The United States is in the middle of a major health care debate. The Democrats want to reform health care and make it more affordable. They also want to make sure that about 30 million American who do not have health care of their own are covered by the government. The Republican Party opposes most of these reforms mainly because they are expensive to implement and will make the government larger.
One of the groups that have been used as a pawn in the fight between the Democrats and the Republicans are senior citizens. America is a very rich country and has a very high standard of living. People tend to live longer. The average life expectancy of an American is 78.2 years compared to that of an Indian which is 64.7 years.
Long life span of citizens has a huge impact on the health care system in America. In addition older Americans generally prefer their independence over living with their children or other relatives (like it is in many cases in India). This complicates the situation further. Once you get sick or immobile then you move from hospital to hospital and finally end up in senior care centers. You then become completely dependant on total strangers for your survival (this is the price every society has to pay once it “develops”).
Thousands of Americans are now currently “alive” in hospitals and in other medical facilities simply because medicine and technology can keep them alive. These individuals are incapacitated and cannot communicate and have very little or no hope of leading a normal life ever. What would you do if you are one of them? It is too late to communicate your wishes because you are almost in a vegetative state kept alive by modern medicine.
Traditionally doctors will make the decision to either stop or continue the medication (a life or death decision). This is still the case in the vast majority of cases in India. But in the United States doctors are increasingly hesitant to make such important decisions because of the fear of lawsuits or pressure from the patients families to keep the person alive. Keeping an individual alive like this is also very expensive and can have a huge financial impact on the families.
This is where a living will comes in. A living will which is also known as “advanced health care directives” are instructions given by you when it comes to life prolonging medical treatments. These directives only come into effect if you are no longer able to communicate and make decisions because of illness or injuries. The rules for the living will vary state to state. The document should clearly state what your decisions are when it comes to advanced life prolonging treatments and also appoint an individual who you trust to make important medical decisions.
It is also important to notify your family members; close relatives, friends, your primary health care physician and the hospital that you visit that you have a living will. Unfortunately it is not clear whether living will and other advanced directives are legal in India. There is a sense of fatalism and tough decisions such as these are based on economic basis or by relatives or family members. The patient actually has no voice. It is time to change that.
“I actually think it’s a good idea to have a living will. I’d encourage everybody to get one. I have one; Michelle has one. And we hope we don’t have to use it for a long time, but I think it’s something that is sensible” – President Barack Obama
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- Senior Living for Gays in India
- India’s Impending Health Care Crisis
- Glen Beck’s Rant against Indians
- Homeopathy is Bad Medicine
- The Pursuit of Happiness
Category: Culture & Religion
I think the world will be a better place if we allow our old to die without prolonging the ‘living hell’ in some hospital with tubes stuck into every entry point found on a human body. I was witness to my father and mother sufferings- both died on the hospital bed…and both shed silent tears in pain. This went on till I gave in writing asking the docs to stop treatment.
My thoughts are similar. There are however many individuals who want to see their loved ones kept alive due to various reasons.