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A Quick Note on Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR)/Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) Forms

I want to share a story that may prove helpful to you my readers one day. I serve as the Power of Attorney for Health Care for one of my clients who has severe issues with her memory. She was recently transferred from the assisted living memory care unit of her current community to the skilled nursing section due to failing health. When I went to the nursing home to complete her admission papers, the social worker informed me that there was no completed DNR/POLST form in my client’s file, and I needed to complete one.

In order to accurately describe the form, I am quoting a description from POLST.ORG which reads, “The POLST Paradigm was developed to improve the quality of patient care and reduce medical errors by creating a system that identifies patients’ wishes regarding medical treatment and communicates and respects them by creating portable medical orders. While the POLST Paradigm supports the completion of advance directives, clinical experience and research demonstrate that these advance directives are not sufficient alone to assure that those who suffer from serious illnesses or frailty will have their preferences for treatment honored unless a POLST Form is also completed.”

Although I serve as Power of Attorney for several of my clients, most of them are not nearing the end of life at this point. When I looked at the form (http:www.idph.state.il.us/public/books/dnrform.pdf), and admittedly I had seen it before, I was a little overwhelmed. Seeing the form is one thing. Comprehending the reality associated with it is another. I told the social worker that my client’s POA for Health Care clearly stated that she did not want her life prolonged if the “burdens of treatment outweigh the benefits.” I was informed that without the completion of the POLST form, she would be a “CODE 3,” meaning that she would be resuscitated even if the POA form stated otherwise. Hence, the POA form was not sufficient in the absence of a POLST form on file.

Please check your loved one’s file, perhaps visit with his/her lawyer, and don’t be caught off guard by any discrepancies between your loved one’s expressed values and wishes and the various paper directives that might impact his or her care.

For all of your senior living needs, contact Andrea Donovan Senior Living Advisors. Call us at (708) 415-2934 or email us. Please visit our website. Please watch my video to learn how the process works and learn what our clients say about us.

Andrea Donovan
Andrea Donovan Senior Living Advisors
1497 Shire Circle
Inverness, IL 60067
Phone: 847.934.5303
Cell: 708.415.2934
andrea_donovansla@yahoo.com
www.chicagoseniorlivingadvisors.com