Which of the following best explains why all family members should want their aged relatives to have a living will?
a. To confirm that the attorney is serving as guardian and family members do not have to be responsible
b. To fulfill the federal Patient Self-Determination Act requirements
c. To help family members know what their loved one does or does not want if he or she becomes incapacitated
d. To keep physicians from writing a do-not-resuscitate order
ANS: C
Living wills are legal documents whose purpose is to allow individuals to specify what type of medical treatment they would or would not want if they became incapacitated or had an irreversible terminal illness. Living wills can direct physicians to withhold life-sustaining procedures and can assist family members in making decisions when they are unable to consult a comatose or medically incompetent relative. The purpose of a living will is not to appoint an attorney as a guardian. The Patient Self-Determination Act requires health care facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid funds to ask patients on admission if they possess an advance directive; it does not require that patients complete
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