[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/when-to-shut-down-the-pacemaker-greenwich-ct-white-plains-ny\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/when-to-shut-down-the-pacemaker-greenwich-ct-white-plains-ny\/","headline":"When To Shut Down The Pacemaker","name":"When To Shut Down The Pacemaker","description":"[Pacemakers] prolong lives, but \u201call those people will face decisions down the road,\u201d Dr. Mueller said. \u201c\u2019Do I keep it going? Do I turn it off?\u2019\u201d Physicians have similar questions, including what kinds of patients confront these choices and who usually winds up making these decisions. Do you or a loved one live with a […]","datePublished":"2014-02-11","dateModified":"2023-08-12","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/author\/amorusolaw\/#Person","name":"Amoruso & Amoruso, LLP","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/author\/amorusolaw\/","identifier":5,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12de032c04195e9c39a06a6d6eea182f7b4fa655c20e245f8094a244b5cdd0cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/12de032c04195e9c39a06a6d6eea182f7b4fa655c20e245f8094a244b5cdd0cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Amoruso & Amoruso, LLP","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/amoruso-logo.svg","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/amoruso-logo.svg","width":0,"height":0}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6a01901dd0a082970b01a51166e602.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/6a01901dd0a082970b01a51166e602.jpg","height":192,"width":192},"url":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/when-to-shut-down-the-pacemaker-greenwich-ct-white-plains-ny\/","about":["Elder Care","Elder Law"],"wordCount":290,"keywords":["Elder Care","Elder Law","End-of-Life Planning","Medical Directives"],"articleBody":"[Pacemakers] prolong lives, but \u201call those people will face decisions down the road,\u201d Dr. Mueller said. \u201c\u2019Do I keep it going? Do I turn it off?\u2019\u201d Physicians have similar questions, including what kinds of patients confront these choices and who usually winds up making these decisions.Do you or a loved one live with a pacemaker or implanted defibrillator? These devices keep the clock ticking, so to speak. But when you are making end-of-life plans, when is the right time to turn the pacemaker off? This scenario is all too common and is presenting challenges in geriatric medicine and palliative care.Recently, The New Old Age Blog took a look at this perplexing issue in an article titled “A Decision Deferred: Turning Off the Pacemaker“.Compounding the problem is the fact that standard medical directives are designed with feeding tubes and breathing support in mind. Rarely do such legal instruments address the question of a pacemaker, implanted defibrillator or other surgically implanted electronic heart monitor. These devices may extend life, and maybe not for the better, but without the directive who is empowered to direct when or even whether they should be turned off?Simply put: no one.So how many patients with these devices have built their wishes (whether on or off) into their plans and medical directives? In one survey of 150 elderly and dying Mayo clinic patients, more than half had a medical directive (and only that — a bad statistic in itself). However, only one medical directive addressed the issue of the patient\u2019s defibrillator.Reference: The New York Times \u2013 The New Old Age Blog (January 29, 2014) “A Decision Deferred: Turning Off the Pacemaker”For more information on elder law and estate planning, please visit my estate planning website."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"When To Shut Down The Pacemaker","item":"https:\/\/www.amorusolaw.com\/blog\/when-to-shut-down-the-pacemaker-greenwich-ct-white-plains-ny\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]