What does DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) mean?
A DNR is a signed medical order written by a doctor.
DNR stands for Do Not Resuscitate and tells health care providers and emergency medical personnel not to do CPR on your older adult if they stop breathing or if their heart stops beating.
The DNR is only a decision about CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation).
It doesnāt affectĀ any other treatments, such as pain medicine, other medicines, or nutrition.
(For doctorās orders about other end-of-life treatments, your older adult may want a POLST)
We explain why your older adult might want a DNR, the difference between a pre-hospital and a hospital DNR, how to get a DNR, and how to make sure itās easily accessible in case of an emergency.
Why would seniors want a DNR?
If your older adult has already decided that they donāt want CPR, this form allows them to make sure their wishes are honored in an emergency.
Without a DNR or POLST, emergency medical personnel are required to do their best to resuscitate someone who is not breathing orĀ doesnāt have a heartbeat.
They cannot stop these efforts without a signed medical order, no matter what you say.
The difference between pre-hospital vs hospital DNR
DNR forms are used in hospitals so the staff will know how to respond in case of an emergency.
However, there are also DNR forms that can be used outside of a hospital by emergency medical personnel or in assisted living.
Those are often called a pre-hospital DNR.
Make sure you have the form thatās right for your older adultās current situation. Some people may need both.
How to get a legally valid DNR
After talking with your older adult, discuss their CPR preferences with their doctor.Ā
Their doctor must sign the official DNR form and must use the appropriate forms for your older adultās state.
Some states have additional requirements, so be sure that your older adult is complying with all necessary rules such as using a specific color of paper for the form, wearing a DNR bracelet, etc.
If the stateās requirements arenāt met, the DNR isnāt legally valid and emergency medical services providers donāt have to honor it.
You can find many statesā forms online at the state health departmentās website.
Note: If your older adult has a DNR and moves from one state to another, they must complete a new DNR form thatās legally valid in their new home state.
Make sure the DNR is easily accessible
A DNR can only be honored if people know it exists.Ā
Notify doctors, nurses, caregivers, family members, and assisted living staff about your older adultās wishes and show that they have a signed DNR.
Make sure doctors, hospitals, and assisted living communities have the DNR on file and/or post it prominently in your older adultās room.
And you may also want to print backup copies to keep in your hospital essentials kit and to give to family members.
A DNR should also be posted prominently in your older adultās home ā emergency medical teams are likely to look for it near their bed or on the refrigerator.
Note: Some states require a DNR medical bracelet. If thatās the case, the person must be wearing the bracelet in order for medical personnel to honor the DNR.
Recommended for you:
- The Five Wishes Living Will Makes It Easier to Plan for End-of-Life
- The Reality of CPR for Seniors: Get the Facts
- Which End-of-Life Form Is Needed? POLST vs DNR
By DailyCaring Editorial Team
Anonymous
Thank you for this article.
-Sincerely
Rebecca
DailyCaring
You’re welcome! We’re so glad it’s helpful.
Gerald J. O'Grady
All of this information suggests that a person should have a DNR, rather than NOT have a DNR. Too many people, seniors in particular, are convinced that if rescusitateed, they would have to live life on artificial life support, which is simply not true. (This was the reason my mother gave me when she told me she did not want to be “brought back” if she went into cardiac arrest.) – – – I told her: Mother, one has little or nothing to do with the other – – – but she just didn’t comprehend the distinction. – – – Subsequently, she signed a DNR and, after receiving a head injury from a fall, 911 just let her go when, most likely, they could have revived her. DNR’s are misleading!!!!!!!
I am convinced that an untold number of people wrongly make the choice to sign a DNR for reasons that are not applicable to the potential of living a normal, useful life if they are resuscitated following a cardiac arrest.
If you were to ask these same people to sign a form saying: “Yes, I want to die” – they would not sign it. But, because of the misunderstanding of the effects of resuscitation, they sign a DNR.
Go back to the drawing boards people!!!!!!!!!! You are misinforming and killing our seniors.
DailyCaring
I’m sorry for your loss.
This article explains what a DNR is, what treatments the document covers, and how to put it into place.
Each person needs to make the choice that’s right for them and needs to be aware of the facts before they can make an informed decision.