by Joan Blumenfeld, MS, LPC
If I’ve told my children once, I’ve told them a thousand times. “When I’m near the end of my life, give me a good glass of wine, play me some Mozart, and LEAVE ME ALONE!”
I’m being only partly facetious. The wine and the Mozart are easy. Leaving me alone without trying to fix me is the wrenching part. Believe me, I know. I muddled through this process with three family members whom I loved deeply, and I’ve watched families of my frail, elderly clients go through the same experience.
Even when advance directives and living wills are as specific as they can be regarding Do Not Resuscitate orders, feeding tubes and ventilators, families still struggle with the decisions. There are conflicting views within the family, as well as conflicting medical advice, not to mention the uncertainty and fear in their own hearts and minds.
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