Polst Pennsylvania: Fill & Download for Free

SHE needs to sign an advanced directive and speak with her doctor about how to get papers for her “life sustaining treatment" (or in this case lack of treatment). She also needs to make sure that her power of attorney is on the same page and knows what she does and does not want done. I do not yet know how to obtain the forms, but i have seen them plenty of times. In PA we have POLST forms, which stand for Pennsylvania (i think) Order for Life Sustaining Treatment, and in that form it specifies whether or not the person wants things like IV antibiotics and medications, chest compressions, and/or to be on a ventilator/ breathing machine. I have seen some filled out where people have indicated that they want everything. We have had some where people would be fine with being intubated (placed on the breathing machine), but they dont want CPR. We have had some where people want everything except the breathing machine.Now, if you are talking about she doesn't want to ever go to the hospital or have any treatment, then this puts us into rough territory because withholding necessary medical treatment may be considered elder neglect. She should still try to keep herself healthy and seek treatment for conditions before they become life threatening. For example there's no reason to let an infected cat scratch fester until the infection spreads to the rest of the body and she slowly loses her mind as she passes away. She should still go to the doctor as soon as she thinks the scratch is infected or “angry" and get some antibiotics, so that we never have to consider her death in the first place.If she is terminally ill, say she has stage 4 cancer of something that has metastasized to the brain, and it is more painful for her to get sick from the chemo than it is to just let the disease run its course.. Then she might consider talking with a hospice nurse and being put into hospice care- this service helps people to feel comfortable as their disease/condition progresses and they near the end of life. This is only for those who can reasonable be expected to die within a certain timeframe (i think 6 months).In any case, she should talk to her doctor and/or a lawyer about getting DNR orders and should discuss with them the extent of the care that she wishes to receive in the case of an emergency. She should also designate somebody a power of attorney so that if she becomes unable to speak for herself for whatever reason, then there is written documentation of what she wants and somebody who is legally allowed to direct the doctors on her behalf.