End of Life Care
End of life care is a subject that is difficult for me to ponder. Although I know that death will certainly be part of my career as a nurse, I have never been one of those people who speak glibly about death. I have always seen it as a very serious and rather frightening topic.
The few times I have pondered the possibility of my own death, I would want my husband to be the person to make decisions for me. I know that he and my parents and siblings are close and would work together to make the best decision for my well-being. Being a young adult, I would want everything possible done to keep me going as long as possible and I know that my husband and family members would certainly agree to that.
I haven’t had any discussions about this topic with my family members except to tell them that I would never want to be cremated, I find the thought of being burned after death rather grotesque. Other than that, my family and I don’t discuss my after-death wishes, mainly because they do not expect to be around for that time and because I have not made any advance directives. As stated before, it’s not a topic I relish talking or thinking about. Thinking more about it, I suppose I should make one despite being 29 years old. I do participate in sports and activities such as horseback riding that could potentially cause harm and/or fatalities. It’s just very hard to think about.
My peers are of a similar mindset due to our age and general good health. I do think culture plays a role here. In this affluent town here in the U.S., we expect to live long healthy lives. If we are seriously injured, we expect to survive thanks to the healthcare system here.
I found an article from the UK’s The Telegraph that reflects my attitude. It states that more than half of Brits in relationships don’t know their partner’s end of life wishes, which interestingly enough, was something that was openly talked about in the Victorian era. This makes sense to me because back then, people were only expected to live into their 40s.
As the author notes, more open discussions about death are needed. This could inspire more people to sign up for things such as organ donation and assist those whoare still in the living world .
