NPR profiles The Best Care Possible: A Physician's Quest to Transform Care Through the End of Life, by Ira Byock, M.D. His advice to patients about advance directives:
"This is a way for you to take care of your family if a crisis happens and you're unable to speak for yourself, and they, those that you love, will be left to struggle with decisions about your treatment and care ... You can perhaps lessen the burden that they're going to feel as they struggle with these decisions by shouldering it a little bit, by telling them what you think you would want. They're still going to have to fit those values and preference to the particular condition and treatments being offered, but at least you can lighten the load a touch."
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