By Valerie Koh for TODAY, Singapore, 30 MAY 2015
A third and more devastating stroke left retiree Madam Chan’s father-in-law bedridden in a nursing home for more than a decade, incapable of eating, speaking or moving. 15 years after her father-in-law died, Mdm Chan, 61, remains shaken by the memories of his ordeal, and more importantly the guilt of whether they should have revived him.
“I’ve decided not to have artificial life-sustaining treatment and not to have CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) if I have less than a 50 per cent chance of living. Between receiving care at home and in a nursing home, I chose a nursing home because it has facilities and trained personnel.” She has also appointed her husband as her substitute decision-maker.
The process of drafting an ACP document consists of a series of voluntary discussions on end-of-life care arrangements involving the individual, his loved ones, healthcare providers and a trained facilitator. Apart from the ACP, there are also the Advance Medical Directive (AMD) and Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) that individuals can use to make decisions regarding end-of-life arrangements. An AMD, likened to a living will, is a document stating an individual’s wish not to have extraordinary life-sustaining treatment if he becomes terminally ill or unconscious. The LPA allows an individual to appoint trusted persons to make wide-ranging personal and financial decisions on his behalf if he loses his mental capacity.
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/big-read-population-ages-more-are-confronting-last-taboo
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