Living wills and advance directives for medical decisions
Living wills and
advance directives for medical decisions
Plan ahead and get the medical care you want at the end of life.
While a Last Will and Testament deals with how our assets are shared after we die, a Living Will is a separate document (also known as an Advance Directive) that expresses our wishes for our medical care while we are still alive, but at a point where we can't express our wishes ourselves.
A Living Will gives instructions for not being kept alive through life-support or other artificial medical interventions when there is no hope of recovery and death is inevitable - for example, if someone is in a coma, unconscious and terminally ill. This helps reduce the financial burden of advanced life support where there is no prospect of recovery and also saves the emotional decisions for loved ones as the decision had already been made by you.
Advance directives aren’t just for older adults. Unexpected end-of-life situations can happen at any age, so it’s important for all adults to prepare these documents.
Organ and tissue donations
The Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa (ODF) is a national non-profit and public benefit organisation established in 1988 to address the critical shortage of organ and tissue donors in South Africa through awareness and education campaigns aimed at the public and medical professionals.
Solid organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and pancreas can only be donated if the donor has been diagnosed with brain death and is on a ventilator in a hospital.
Tissue such as bone, skin, corneas, and heart valves may be used if the donor is either on a ventilator or has already passed away and their body is at the mortuary or undertakers.
ODF is not a medical organization and plays no role in the allocation, or procurement, of organs. ODF receives no funding from government and rely entirely on their own fundraising initiatives and generous donations from corporates and individuals to support our work.
Contact https://odf.org.za/ for more information and to register as an organ donor.