ARTICLES / General /
An Advance Directive/
Other ArticlesBy
Marilyn Mitchell
Personally, I think every person that drives
a car should write an Advance Directive every
five years. I recommend updating regularly
because technology changes, and some of your
choices may seem incorrect as technology makes
life more feasible despite disabilities. For
example, there are some people that might write
into their Advance Directive that they would
rather not be kept alive if they are unable to
speak, but there is research that makes the
possibility of communicating using only your
thoughts and a special computer very likely in
the near future. Every person over age 65
should be required to create an Advance
Directive since it is very likely at some point
they will be relying on health professionals to
care for them. Wouldn't you want your wishes
known?
Marilyn Mitchell, RN, BSN, MAS
has been an RN for thirty years. She recently
completed her Master of Advanced Studies in Health
Law from UCSD/California Western School of Law.
She works for Kaiser Permanente in the Service
Quality Department.
