If you are against DNAR this might give you another look and angle to it.
I was absolutely against my mother having DNAR
I was adamant that I would make paramedics do resus.
That’s my mindset, I was the one at parties dealing with the person who slashed their wrists or the self harmer who went too far.
Last year a paramedic broached DNAR, we had a discussion where I changed my mind about it, albeit I would still want to make them do it but I won’t now. The bare bones of our conversation:-
Him: DNAR would be a brutal and violent death for her, she’s so frail she won’t survive it.
Me: There’s a chance she might - never say never!
Him: Do you want to watch us killing your mother in a painful death
Me: I would rather hold and comfort her
So the DNAR form was done via the GP
I hate it, I really do and had many tears over it.
But her 90 year old body is too frail for resus so it is the better and humane way.
I hope it doesn’t come to that but if it does, it is in place.
In the early days of covid a paramedic tried to enforce a DNAR on her saying that paramedics can now decide wether to do it or not - I refused and told him that is genocide of the elderly and if mother needs resus he will do it (she didn’t). Then he went and spoke with my mother about it when I expressly told him not to, told him she’s ill and she’s grieving the loss of a daughter, don’t go there, but he did. I told him he could have caused a heart attack or stroke doing that to her and I’d told him not to and he was out of order.
Sarcasm kicked in and I asked him if he was getting commission for DNARs!
He really was on a mission.
Any paramedic or Dr on scene or at hospital can now make the DNAR decision so I don’t see the point in the DNAR form for my mother now because they won’t do it anyway according to him.
However, she has just in case any of them are of a mind to try resus because I don’t want her having a painful and brutal death which if it wasn’t by medical staff would be seen as assault and murder if it was on the street I suppose.