Avoid Making a Bad Situation Worse

Here is my public service message for the day. Do with it what you will.

I'm gonna tell you two names. You can probably figure out what I'm going to say once you read them: Terri Schiavo. Nancy Cruzan. You see where I'm headed. Nancy Cruzan was 25 when the car wreck occurred that changed her life; Terri Schiavo was 26 when she entered the condition now at the center of the battle in Florida.

I received an e-mail today from The Missouri Bar. The bar president's mother-in-law had Alzheimer's. He is trying to prevent other families from experiencing the implosion that often occurs when making important health decisions for another family member who has become incapacitated. The bar encourages people to "establish[] advance directives regarding future health care decisions" to "ensure that a person's wishes are met" and to "relieve families from having to make difficult decisions at a time of great stress."

If these goals interest you, and you live in Missouri, you might want to download the Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care and Health Care Directive forms and the accompanying HIPAA form provided and recently revised by The Missouri Bar.

The form compiled by the bar is generic, so it does not necessarily meet everyone's needs. If you think it will work for you, then you should gather 'round your loved ones and talk about it. That's what my hubby and I will be doing this weekend. Please don't wait until it's too late.