[Medical care proxy for an aging woman]

Naomi, a 93 year old woman, was hospitalized to undergo surgery after breaking a hip bone, and for rehabilitation in which she regained her ability to walk. She returned to live at home, and after some time raised the subject of dying in a casual conversation with Ruth, her daughter, wanting to express her wishes about future medical care. Ruth had difficulty taLking about the matter, but after Naomi mentioned it once more, she came for a consultation. The consuLtation process ended with Naomi signing a medical care proxy. The paper describes the templates of advance directives and proxy under the Dying Patient Law, 2005, and argues that they impose a medico-legal construction on the patient's will and are not appropriate for the psychosocial process of advance care planning. The paper also describes the medicaL proxy form under the Patient's Rights Law, 1996, and the "living will" of the Israeli Society to Live and Die with Dignity. The objective of the consuLtation process was to allow Naomi to express her wishes in her own Language, and to facilitate communication with Ruth on the sensitive subject of her mother's anticipated death. The paper suggests a need to create a supportive environment for dialogue with relatives, and to foster awareness of the emotional difficulty n thinking and talking about death, if the intention is to clarify a person's wishes with regard to end-of-life medical care.