Incapacity Planning Medical Terms in Florida – Part 2

A little while ago we took a look at some incapacity planning medical terms that people who create an incapacity plan in Florida need to understand. This week we are going to continue our discussion by looking at some additional incapacity planning medical terms you should know. The creation of an effective incapacity plan not only requires that you create some specific legal tools, but it also requires that you make decisions about the kinds of care and treatment you might receive in the future. Understanding what kind of treatment you might receive should you become incapacitated is essential in order to make an effective plan. So today, we are going to look at some common incapacity planning medical terms associated with medical care.

Incapacity Planning Medical Terms in Florida

• Life support. The term “life support” is an umbrella term that refers to a wide range of medical treatments commonly provided to people whose bodies have lost one or more vital functions. In other words, life support allows the body to continue functioning even though it can no longer support itself. A variety of life-support treatments exist that health care workers provide, and your incapacity plan will allow you to make decisions about if, and when, you wish to allow them.
• Dialysis. The blood that circulates throughout your body needs to be regularly cleaned in order to keep it healthy. When a person’s kidneys fail, that person’s blood is no longer kept clean. Dialysis is an artificial way of doing the job that a person’s kidneys normally do when functioning.
• Artificial nutrition. Sometimes referred to as a feeding tube or enteral nutrition, artificial nutrition provides a person’s body with the food and water it needs when that person can no longer eat or drink. Artificial nutrition can often be sustained indefinitely as long as the person’s other vital bodily systems are functioning properly.
• Ventilation. A person on ventilation has his or her breathing performed by a machine. When a person’s lungs can no longer draw in the necessary air needed to sustain life, ventilation can be used to provide the body with the air and oxygen it needs.
• Resuscitation. When a person’s heart stops beating, health care workers can resuscitate that person by using a variety of methods. One of the most common methods available is the use of a defibrillator. A defibrillator delivers electric shock to a body that starts the heart beating once again. Other resuscitation methods include cardiopulmonary respiration, also commonly known as CPR.
• DNR. Standing for “do not resuscitate,” a DNR is a medical directive that tells health care workers that a patient does not wish to receive resuscitative treatments.