Page 65 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2026 - Online Magazine

SENIOR RESOURCES

deciding whether to execute them and suggest that they Often, I find myself having to offer a client advice and
follow up with their own doctors and specialists. In any counsel based on legal matters that I understand but
event, I do not prepare OOH-DNRs in my office, and the may not have experienced personally. Occasionally,
DNRs are done in healthcare facilities. I often share some a personal experience comes along and significantly
thoughts which I make clear to my clients derive from my affects how I approach issues that I encounter frequently
personal, and not professional, opinions. I do not believe in my practice. My mother’s recent illness is a case in
that there is a fixed answer for when either an OOH-DNR point. Thankfully, we did not have a full code, crash cart
or DNR becomes appropriate. I am given to understand experience for my little 86-year-old momma, but for the
that resuscitation, particularly chest compressions, first time, I had to imagine it.
can be fairly brutal, breaking bones and damaging
internal organs. As I get older, I am sure that I will be
more inclined to execute one. There is the possibility of
receiving a dreaded diagnosis such as dementia or cancer
that may be terminal but falls outside the six-month
window to activate a Directive. In that circumstance,
I certainly would consider an OOH-DNR or DNR. On
the other hand, if I would go in for a joint replacement
or other major surgery to improve my quality of life,
then I would be less inclined to execute those kinds of
documents. I understand that they have to be revoked
before general anesthesia can be administered; I may
be wrong about that, but it is something to think about
at least. Ultimately, the decision to sign an OOH-DNR
or DNR depends upon the individual’s informed
assessment of his or her own needs or desires.

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