Hospital And Nursing Home Hearings

It is hard enough for family, friends and loved ones to witness the suffering of someone they care about whose condition has deteriorated to the point at which there is no quality of life and they are reliant on machines and medical equipment to keep them from passing and putting an end to their plight. These tragic situations are made even more painful when a dispute arises regarding the proper course of action to take consistent with that person’s preferences, wishes and desires.

Such disputes can take place not only among family and friends regarding what that person would want to have happen to them in such a situation, but also between family and/or friends on the one hand, and the hospital or nursing home on the other. In such instances, our attorneys serve as the loved ones’ liaison and advocate to the health care facility, fighting to make sure that the individual’s preferences, wishes and desires are honored. Hearings are necessary in the event that such dealings with the hospital do not produce a satisfactory result for that individual and their loved ones.

There is perhaps no better example of the prudence of having a Living Will than these unfortunate situations. A Living Will can help prevent these disputes from arising by clearly setting forth a person’s preferences, wishes and desires if they were to ever be rendered in a position in which they have no quality of life and their death and suffering are being prolonged through artificial means. In your Living Will, your wishes are articulated, whether you would want to terminate life support or would like “all heroic means” to be employed to keep you alive.