End of Life Care

Before nursing school I never considered the death of my parents, a loved one, or even myself. Three years removed from that, I am now a lot more knowledgeable on the subject and have a new perspective on the issue. My wishes regarding end of life are as follows: I wish to donate all viable organs, if I have an extremely poor prognosis I don’t want to remain on a ventilator or any other life prolonging measures, and lastly, I would name my sister my durable power of attorney. Although I personally have not had these discussions with my family or peers, I do want to eventually have them. I believe that the best time to hold these talks would be this summer since my entire family will be together.

My parents rarely bring up the topic of end of life because I believe Hispanics rarely have these discussions. I am not sure if it is a cultural issue but I don’t know of any family member that has ever had a living will or appointed a durable power of attorney. When my parents have brought the issue up it is because a coworker or family friend has suffered the death of the family member. Their discussions are usually very brief and they talk about how they don’t want to be in a vegetative state. I plan to have a more formal talk with both of my parents at a more appropriate time. My hope is to have a definite pulse on what my parents’ wishes are regarding end of life issues.