I have a request, since I love and value your column. I have even used it to help start discussions with friends and family. I am 68 with some severe health issues, my husband is 76 with same, and in both cases some genetic history to stay aware of. At this time we are both still working bc of financial need, but also lucky to work at jobs we love, living lives with a great sense of purpose and many joys (though not happy with our country and of course worried about the suffering of others, doing what we can and making the latter as high a priority as we can, which is not nearly as much as we wish to do or give but all we can.) We are both working with our doctors and family to fill out our Oregon ADRs, which are wonderfully complex and leave room for extended expressions of desires, values, etc. It would be great to see you do one or several columns on this, because these are not simple documents. Even the POLST, which is way less complicated, still needed some help from our doctors to get very clear. But it is the ADR that really takes thought. It also has taken many talks between spouse and self to figure out how we would pay for care in difficult cases (unknown, unclear, and maybe in the end unwanted.) Now we have to talk to our adult children, at least one of whom has different values than we do. One of our doctors warned us that even with ADRs, if family really pressures providers sometimes one's wishes are overridden. I teach biomedical ethics at university level to upper division premed students; we discuss and intentionally complicate issues of autonomy throughout the course. This would be a good topic here, with another expert I have faith in. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Complicated stuff. And so important, bc it is about autonomy but also loved ones.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. This is a very good topic and I plan to write a about it soon. I urge more readers to weigh in here, and generate a wider community discussion.
I'm not ready to go back outside like Meg Grahamme for my chill. I try to focus on what I can do, where I can contribute, adding some bit of clarity, understanding, improvement. This bolsters hope. For the rest, I exercise and stretch for the endorphins as much as for other benefits; and I share my concerns with other caring people. Every once in a while I take more distinctly political action, not as much because I believe holding up a sign is likey to move pols as because sharing this tells me and others who oppose book bans, and other initiatives we believe violate the best principles of our country, that we are not isolated outliers but a mainstream multitude.
Nature is my chill pill. A quiet walk outside without headphones or 10 minutes with the pots of tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs I planted this year to give me something to nurture reset my anxiety level.
I have a request, since I love and value your column. I have even used it to help start discussions with friends and family. I am 68 with some severe health issues, my husband is 76 with same, and in both cases some genetic history to stay aware of. At this time we are both still working bc of financial need, but also lucky to work at jobs we love, living lives with a great sense of purpose and many joys (though not happy with our country and of course worried about the suffering of others, doing what we can and making the latter as high a priority as we can, which is not nearly as much as we wish to do or give but all we can.) We are both working with our doctors and family to fill out our Oregon ADRs, which are wonderfully complex and leave room for extended expressions of desires, values, etc. It would be great to see you do one or several columns on this, because these are not simple documents. Even the POLST, which is way less complicated, still needed some help from our doctors to get very clear. But it is the ADR that really takes thought. It also has taken many talks between spouse and self to figure out how we would pay for care in difficult cases (unknown, unclear, and maybe in the end unwanted.) Now we have to talk to our adult children, at least one of whom has different values than we do. One of our doctors warned us that even with ADRs, if family really pressures providers sometimes one's wishes are overridden. I teach biomedical ethics at university level to upper division premed students; we discuss and intentionally complicate issues of autonomy throughout the course. This would be a good topic here, with another expert I have faith in. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Complicated stuff. And so important, bc it is about autonomy but also loved ones.
Thanks for the thoughtful response. This is a very good topic and I plan to write a about it soon. I urge more readers to weigh in here, and generate a wider community discussion.
I'm not ready to go back outside like Meg Grahamme for my chill. I try to focus on what I can do, where I can contribute, adding some bit of clarity, understanding, improvement. This bolsters hope. For the rest, I exercise and stretch for the endorphins as much as for other benefits; and I share my concerns with other caring people. Every once in a while I take more distinctly political action, not as much because I believe holding up a sign is likey to move pols as because sharing this tells me and others who oppose book bans, and other initiatives we believe violate the best principles of our country, that we are not isolated outliers but a mainstream multitude.
Nature is my chill pill. A quiet walk outside without headphones or 10 minutes with the pots of tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs I planted this year to give me something to nurture reset my anxiety level.