Should people be left on life support?

Answer 1

Life support measures are often used for short term stabilization of acute conditions. When, however, the patient is unable to sustain their own physical processes for life and can not be taken off the life support, staying on it for a much longer term, it is often up to the family to make a decision about leaving them on artificial life support or taking them off and allowing "nature" to take course. Sometimes when no family is available to make the decision it can be left to the medical establishment or legal system to make the call.

This is a personal decision that each person should make for themselves based on their own opinion. It should be left completely up to the person being on life support. Many people have strong feelings and would not want to be kept alive under those conditions where recovery is highly improbable. But often that person is no longer able to make the decision or communicate it. That is why it is believed by most health care professionals that every one is well advised to make their feelings and opinions on this difficult subject known to family and friends well in advance. This makes your family's heartbreak over making the right decision for you in their time of grief much less agonizing. Ideally, each of us should have on record our desires regarding long term life support and other heroic medical measures that might be used to prolong life beyond our wishes. The best, and sometimes the only legally binding, way to make your choices known is to complete a document called an Advance Directive for Health Care. See the link section with this question for examples.

If you are a family member faced with this most difficult task without knowing what the desires of the patient are, while it is very difficult, you are probably the better person, having known the patient and their philosophies, to make a decision for them. Seek comfort and support from family and friends, counselors (most hospitals have social workers who can help you understand the process), clergy, and health professionals aware of the condition, prognosis, and patient's current care.

Talk to your own family, or fill out an advance directive for yourself and give them copies or information about how to access it, as soon as you can, so they will know what you would want done in this kind of situation.