Michael Schumacher and Living Wills

Two months after Formula One driver Michael Schumacher was injured in a skiing accident, he remains in a medically-induced coma at the University Hospital Centre in Grenoble. Tragically, Schumacher’s accident was not an anomaly; doctors in Grenoble see hundreds of injured skiers arrive each year with serious head injuries.

For Schumacher, 45, hopes of a full mental and physical recovery are looking increasingly unlikely. Gary Harstein, an American anaesthesiologist based in Belgium, who worked as head of Formula One’s medical unit, put it bleakly:

“After eight weeks, if there are no signs of waking, what most people would do is unplug”.

Accidents can occur at any time, and Schumacher’s story is a timely reminder on the importance of making a ‘living will’. A living will (also known as an Advance Directive) is a document which sets out a person’s wishes regarding life prolonging medical treatment. You can leave clear instructions for your doctors in the case of a life threatening or terminal medical emergency, for example, whether to prolong life support in case of severe injury or illness.

One of the primary reasons for instructing a living will, is that is removes the responsibility of making these difficult decisions from family and friends, and frees them from the pain of wondering whether they’re doing ‘the right thing’. 

Before instructing a living will, it is always a good idea to consult a GP or other medical professional who is very familiar to you. They will ensure that you are able to make informed decisions, by providing you with relevant medical information and making sure that your instructions are clear for other medical practitioners to follow.

Some crucial things to consider will be:

·         What qualifies as a life for you? What does ‘quality of life’ mean to you’?
·         To you, does life support count as ‘living’?
·         What level of disability would you cope with?
·         What is important to you? What is not acceptable to you?

These are difficult questions to ponder, and it is important to discuss them with your family.

For expert advice on creating a living will, call 0800 PERPETUAL.