Tip 2 Have the conversation with your health care decision-makers
What are your wishes regarding aggressive treatment verse non-aggressive treatment, sometimes called comfort measures? If you had a heart attack, do you want CPR? If you were unable to swallow food, do you want a feeding tube? If you were infected with COVID-19, do you want to go to the hospital? Do you want to be placed on a ventilator? These are difficult questions in ordinary times. These are even more difficult in times of uncertainty and challenges with health care resources.
If you know what you want to be done, tell your health care decision-makers.
Maybe this conversation is too hard right now. That’s understandable. Tell your health care decision-makers you don’t know. Ask them to use their best judgment on what treatment you should have based on what they think is your likelihood of recovery and what your quality of life might be like if you were to recover.
