Choosing healthcare for the end of your life

Cate Kortzeborn Special to the Village News

My mom, 88 stubborn years old, still lives on her own in a big house with a cat that loves to get underfoot. Because I work in healthcare, I have an all-too-vivid recognition of the perils that can befall someone in her situation. So, posted on her kitchen bulletin board is a bright pink sheet of paper called a POLST.

POLST stands for Physician Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment. It’s a document that makes your treatment wishes known to doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians, and other healthcare providers. Too often, people near the end of...