Having worked for 20+ at a large (and famous) hospital I can assure that DNR orders are taken very seriously for many reason...some ethical...some legal.Either there's something important missing from this story or else the physician/hospital in question is playing a very dangerous game.
You can’t “slap a DNR order” on someone, even if it IS your own parent. They have to agree to it themselves. They have to sign a form, I believe. But word of warning. Make damned sure if you sign a DNR for yourself that you are fully aware of what that could (and might) translate to in the minds of ‘some’ people in the hospital.
In my mom’s case, they let her lay there over a Saturday night and early Sunday morning with over 100 degree fever and gave her NO medication to combat the fever. The “doctor on duty” said to the nurse to make her “comfortable” ....which meant to let her die, essentially.
THAT is how a DNR could be translated by some of the ghouls in our society these days. So be warned.
Dangerous game, indeed. My father’s fairly recent directive was “full code.” He was in final stage heart failure, was on dialysis, and had just had a heart attack. The doctor substituted a DNR, which I learned from grilling a nurse. My Dad was still conscious and lucid, and had a deep faith that he should live each day of the life God gave him. In accordance with his wishes, I found an attorney who would take the case and visit him in the hospital. The full code was reinstated, and my sister and I were gIven health proxy if he was declared incompetent.
The lawyer visited each doctor, department, nurse and the administration.
Copies of my father’s directive and the attorney’s business card were given to everyone involved, including a copy posted on his door.
Nurses and doctors began badgering me, even calling me at his home.
They wanted him to have the, well, Terri Schiavo treatment, since food and water are now considered extreme measures.
Their efforts made the last two weeks of his life very stress filled, and interfered with his ability to spend quiet time with family. The doctor once again substituted a DNR. I spent what turned out to be my Dad’s last day of life dealing with the lawyer and a now hostile doctor.
Other patients’ family members were complaining of efforts to speed their loved ones’ demise. I gave copies of our lawyer’s card to all of them, and was warmly thanked.
I know others make different choices. At the end a person just wants peace of mind, in whatever form that takes.