MAY 2020 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 41
COPING WITH DEATH
END-OF-LIFE DECISIONS
THE HARDEST CONVERSATION
By EMILY DAVENPORT
and ADAM BROWNSTEIN
No one likes to think about the end of
their life, but it’s an important topic
that many people put off until it’s too
late.
With the coronavirus pandemic inspiring
people to reconsider what they
prioritize in their lives, experts say
you should also make time to figure
out your own end-of-life plans.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic, people
are getting scared, of course, and they
realize, ‘Oh, my goodness, I don’t have
a will, I haven’t thought about what
would happen if I got very sick,’” says
David Badanes, a family law attorney
with offices in Northport and Garden
City. “Now they see this is something
that could hit them and they may not
even think about it … I have seen an
increase in telephone calls from people
in this area.”
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, while 70
percent of people say that they would
prefer to die at home, 70 percent of people
die in a hospital, nursing home, or
a long-term care facility, underscoring
the need to discuss end-of-life plans
with loved ones. And according to a
survey of Californians taken by the
California Health Care Foundation,
while 60 percent of people say that not
burdening their loved ones with extremely
tough decisions is important,
56 percent have not communicated
their final wishes.
“Difficult as they may be, these conversations
are essential,” says American
Bar Foundation (ABF) Research
Professor Susan P. Shapiro, who
authored In Speaking for the Dying:
Life-and-Death Decisions in Intensive
Care. “Now is a good time to provide
loved ones with the information, reassurance,
and trust they need to make
decisions.”
Chances are the only one who knows
your body as well as you do is your doctor.
When considering your end-of-life
plans, consult your doctor and see what
kind of insight she/he can provide.
If you want to make sure your wishes
are carried out, get your plans in
writing so it is completely clear what
your loved ones should do if a decision
needs to be made.
“Even in the post-COVID world, which
will happen sooner or later — we’re
going to get out of this — everybody
should have a will, in my opinion,”
Badanes says, “and they should discuss
this with an attorney.”
Tell your loved ones your final wishes
before it’s too late. (Getty Images)
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