Pros And Cons Of Specifying That You Want To Be Kept On Life Support

Law Blog

One of the biggest questions that you'll need to consider when you're drafting up a living will to share with your family members is whether you should be kept alive via life support. As a result of a serious accident, life-threatening illness, or other medical issues, your care team will need to consult with your immediate family members to ascertain your wishes. When you've provided a living will, your family will know how your doctors should approach your care. Before you decide what you want, here are some pros and cons of being kept on life support.

Pro: It Gives Family Members Time To Visit You

Some people can suffer health issues that cause them to fade quickly. Keeping such an individual on life support allows family members, many of whom may not live in the state, to quickly make plans to visit. Seeing a family member before his or her passing is helpful in terms of providing closure for many people, and life support can be instrumental in keeping you alive long enough for closure.

Con: You Don't Have Quality Of Life

Many people refer to being on life support as staying alive but not actually living. In this state, you're essentially asleep and unresponsive, and this means that you have no real quality of life. While there are people who wish to remain on life support indefinitely, others question this mindset because the person on life support is merely existing.

Pro: Everyone Can Be Present For Your Death

Even though you're alive on life support, your death is imminent in this state. If you've always been afraid of the idea of dying alone, life support means that this is unlikely. Because medical personnel need to turn off the life support, they can do so with your family surrounding you. For many people, the idea of having all of their loved ones present at the time of death can be comforting.

Con: Your Family May Have Trouble Deciding

As you're kept on life support, your family members will need to talk about when to take you off. Normally, this will occur after everyone who wishes to visit you has done so. Even though your family knows that your death is close, it can be difficult for them to make the decision to turn off your life support. Giving this consent to the physician caring for you may be a decision with which your family struggles.

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8 August 2018