Solutions for Successful Aging
THE THANKFUL VS. THE BURDENED: A VIEW OF MEDICAL POWER OF ATTORNEY
By: Jason Young
If you have ever needed someone to step up and serve as the medical power of attorney for a mentally ill patient, you know how difficult it can be to get that commitment. And how that person responds emotionally to your request can make you feel proud to be a member of the human race or ashamed that you’re included in the group.
I do clinical assessments of patients being admitting to an inpatient geriatric psychiatric program. My job is to ensure that my patients, who are often suffering from dementia and are actively psychotic, will have someone to act in their best interests while they are receiving treatment.
Here’s why I’m writing this: We clinicians need to remind ourselves constantly that relationships in the greatest family histories and the deepest personal friendships can be ruined for an endless number of reasons. Even though we might be in dire need of assistance from a family member or a patient’s friend, it is irrational to expect that all of them will be willing to serve in that role.
We can never fully know the interpersonal conflicts and histories that might have led family members to choose not to care for one another any longer. We can only do our best to convey how badly their help is needed and explain thoroughly why their assistance is so crucial to the patient’s treatment. And when clinicians have made every effort and nobody will step up, we can still be vigilant on behalf of patients who cannot help themselves, and not give up.
I see people every day who not only embrace this responsibility, but are deeply thankful to have been chosen or nominated. On the other hand, I also see people who are so burdened by the mere request that they refuse it. The humanity that I witness in my job is often beautiful--seeing people care so deeply for older men and women. But often the humanity is equally ugly, when caring is actually nonexistent among family members and “friends.”
There are choices available to clinicians. You can choose not to allow others to diminish your level of caring. You can choose to advocate for your patients even when it seems that nobody cares about the patient but you. You can be the difference in your patients’ lives when they cannot do so for themselves.
If you have ever needed someone to step up and serve as the medical power of attorney for a mentally ill patient, you know how difficult it can be to get that commitment. And how that person responds emotionally to your request can make you feel proud to be a member of the human race or ashamed that you’re included in the group.
I do clinical assessments of patients being admitting to an inpatient geriatric psychiatric program. My job is to ensure that my patients, who are often suffering from dementia and are actively psychotic, will have someone to act in their best interests while they are receiving treatment.
Here’s why I’m writing this: We clinicians need to remind ourselves constantly that relationships in the greatest family histories and the deepest personal friendships can be ruined for an endless number of reasons. Even though we might be in dire need of assistance from a family member or a patient’s friend, it is irrational to expect that all of them will be willing to serve in that role.
We can never fully know the interpersonal conflicts and histories that might have led family members to choose not to care for one another any longer. We can only do our best to convey how badly their help is needed and explain thoroughly why their assistance is so crucial to the patient’s treatment. And when clinicians have made every effort and nobody will step up, we can still be vigilant on behalf of patients who cannot help themselves, and not give up.
I see people every day who not only embrace this responsibility, but are deeply thankful to have been chosen or nominated. On the other hand, I also see people who are so burdened by the mere request that they refuse it. The humanity that I witness in my job is often beautiful--seeing people care so deeply for older men and women. But often the humanity is equally ugly, when caring is actually nonexistent among family members and “friends.”
There are choices available to clinicians. You can choose not to allow others to diminish your level of caring. You can choose to advocate for your patients even when it seems that nobody cares about the patient but you. You can be the difference in your patients’ lives when they cannot do so for themselves.
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