Her heart and blood pressure are bad. The doctor says she'll probably never walk again. They have her arms tied because she keeps taking the IV needles out. She is miserable. I want her to be made comfortable and just let her go. They can see prolonging her life is futile. This is crazy hard.
My Heart Goes Out To You & Your Mother
Have her doctor sign a MOLST form ASAP
Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment -
MOLST Form
The MOLST form is a medical order form that tells others the patient's medical orders for life-sustaining treatment. All health care professionals must follow these medical orders as the patient moves from one location to another, unless a physician examines the patients, reviews the orders, and changes them.
MOLST is generally for patients with serious health conditions. Physicians should consider consulting with the patient about completing a MOLST form if the patient
Wants to avoid or receive life-sustaining treatment.
Resides in a long-term care facility or requires long-term care services.
Might die within the next year.
The MOLST form must be completed based on the patient's current medical condition, values, wishes, and these MOLST instructions. Completion of the MOLST begins with a conversation or a series of conversations between the patient, the health care agent or the surrogate, and a qualified, trained health care professional that defines the patient's goals for care, reviews possible treatment options on the entire MOLST form, and ensures shared, informed medical decision-making. The conversation should be documented in the medical record.
Although the conversation(s) about goals and treatment options may be initiated by any qualified and trained health care professional, a licensed physician must always, at a minimum:
Confer with the patient and/or the patient's health care agent or surrogate about the patient's diagnosis, prognosis, goals for care, treatment preferences, and consent by the appropriate decision-maker.
Sign the orders derived from that discussion
If the physician is licensed in a border state, the physician must insert the abbreviation for the state in which he/she is licensed, along with the license number.
The form includes medical orders and patient preferences regarding
Resuscitation instructions when the patient has no pulse and/or is not breathing
CPR order (Attempt CPR) or DNR order (Allow Natural Death)
Orders for other life-sustaining treatment and future hospitalization when the patient has a pulse and the patient is breathing
Treatment guidelines
Intubation and mechanical ventilation
Artificially administered fluids and nutrition
Future hospitalization and transfer
Antibiotics
Other Instructions
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