For Those With Elderly Parents . . .

Just a word of caution.

When we moved my now one-hundred-one year old mother-in-law into the Assisted Living Home, we provided them with a Power of Attorney for Health Care, as well as a Directive to Physicians, and the Do Not Resuscitate Order.  Recently, we learned that they had forgotten to look in the med book when sending her to the ER with dangerously high blood pressure. and they would have done the entire resuscitation procedure (against her wishes) if it became necessary, and no one seemed to remember she was a Do Not Resuscitate!   We HAD given the Power of Attorney for Health Care, Directive to Physician AND the Do Not Resuscitate to Home Health, the Home, her doctor and the hospital, and at the time, they all assured me they would be filed or scanned into the system.   But THEY ALL FORGOT.

If you have elderly parents, with a Do Not Resuscitate Order, be sure to remind all parties regularly.    If you don't have the aforementioned paperwork, talk to your lawyer and your family.   My husband and I have the Power of Attorney for Health Care as well as the Directive to Physicians.   A copy stays in our carry on luggage.

The Power of Attorney for Health Care is critical.  Without it, the doctors will not inform family members of their loved ones condition.  In February, we got a call about our parent being sent to the hospital when we were 125 miles away.   In spite of the fact, I'd given them the paperwork the August the year before, they wouldn't tell us anything, and we had to drive back.   Now, we also have a copy of my mother-in-law's paperwork in our carry-ons, so we can fax it to them if needed.

We picked up our first Do Not Resuscitate order at our local Hospice office.

Health Care Issues in the US

It's good to have a Power of Attorney for Health Care and designate someone to speak up for you in the event you cannot.   While we've had this Power of Attorney for Health Care for years, we filled out a Do Not Resuscitate Order for our 101-Year-Old Mother.   We gave copies to the Hospital, Doctors, Home Health, and the Assisted Living Home.   We also have a Directive to Physicians on hand too. We thought we had it covered. 

A few weeks ago, Mom's blood pressure got in the danger zone and we were out of town, in transit with our cell phones off to prevent distractions while driving.  They hauled Mom off to the hospital.   We learned that none of the people we'd given the Do Not Resuscitate Order remembered receiving it, and they didn't look through their paperwork to verify whether she was a DNR or not.

Just a word of caution.   Don't assume the medical people remember your loved one is a Do Not Resuscitate.   Remind them every chance you get!

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