Schiavo case prompts ML community to hold 'End of Life Choices Seminar' break out: POLST forms can be obtained online, at physician or hospice offices and care facilities

MOSES LAKE — If there is one thing Dorothy Hougan knows for sure, it is that she doesn't want to leave her family with making the decision of what kind of care she should receive in the event of an unexpected illness or injury.

"I don't want my children to have to make a decision so it's nice to know it's already made," said Hougan, who was one of more than 20 people who attended a "End of Life Choices Seminar" at the Hearthstone Inn Thursday that was held in lieu of the Terri Schiavo case.

"It got us all thinking about end of life issues," said Edgar Hoover, a physician with the Moses Lake Clinic who spoke at Thursday's event, and made the comment in reference to the recent legal battle that ensued for years over Schiavo's life.

The seminar featured three guest speakers who provided information from the fields of health care and law as to what families can start doing now to be ready when their loved ones pass away, including being prepared for the most unexpected of events.

"I think it's important that everyone have a good relationship with their doctor," said Hoover. "You need that kind of communication and support from your physicians."

During the seminar all three speakers addressed the need for individuals to be more informed about Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms, advanced directives and living wills.

"If something like this is done it certainly is easier for families and everyone involved," said Hoover.

Program Director for the Columbia Basin Home Healthcare and Hospice, Jamie Vanerstrom, agreed.

"They have to live with that decision later," said Vanerstrom of family involvement in making decisions about medical care when a loved one is nearing death. "It's not a light decision to make."

Whereas living wills or advanced directives leave a written record for family members as to what an individual's end of life choices are, POLST is a piece of documentation signed by a physician and is recognized as a doctor's order, stating an individuals wishes for medical treatment in the event of an emergency.

"This form allows for them to be released from liability," said Vanerstrom of emergency dispatch teams when called to a scene.

Making the decision to have any type of written documentation for future emergencies, while optional, is something Hoover and others in the medical as well as legal and health community are encouraging people to consider regardless of age.

But it is a decision Attorney at law, Bruce Pinkerton of Moses Lake, said individuals must do willingly and with a firm understanding about the kind of care, if any, that they want.

"If you're not sure, don't sign," said Pinkerton. "This is a personal decision. There is no right answer and there is no wrong answer."

Pinkerton said he encourages his clients to consider the hardship placed on family if no POLST or legal documents exist and told Thursday's audience that as shown in the Schiavo case, simply telling a family member what type of end of life care one wishes to receive is not enough.

"It must be in writing," said Pinkerton.

Once written, taking those documents to an attorney is something Pinkerton also highly encourages to make sure the language of a written will, for instance, is clear and concise.

"The worst type of estate (client) is the person who has drafted their own," said Pinkerton of living wills that are overly detailed.

By the end of the hour and a half session, some like Delores Oestreich, said she left feeling more informed about options open to families and what they can do to prepare when they do lose a family member.

"It's something people should be aware of," said Oestreich.