By Kristin Glasure, FAIRHOPE president and CEO
National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is observed each year in April as a nationwide initiative to educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning. Founded in 2008 by Virginia-based healthcare lawyer Nathan Kottkamp and now run by The Conversation Project (TCP), NHDD is a day dedicated to encouraging individuals to express the care they wish to receive from healthcare providers and facilities and ensure those wishes are carried out. It seeks to bring together the larger healthcare, legal, and religious communities to benefit patients, families, providers and facilities.
A medical crisis can occur at any time, making advance care planning important for people of any age and health status. Making important health decisions and documenting that information in writing offers peace of mind to families in the case of medical emergency or serious illness. It enables caregivers to serve as an advocate when someone is unable to do so for themselves while resulting in less burden, guilt and depression. It can even help make the grieving process less difficult on loved ones. Addressing decisions ahead of time can help prevent loved ones or healthcare professionals from having to guess at the healthcare decisions individuals want made on their behalf.
We recently spoke with Jennifer Sitterley of Sitterley Law about the importance of planning ahead and making your wishes known to your family. Sitterley Law is a valuable resource for our community. To find out more information, you can visit their website at sitterleylaw.com or call 740-681-1765. We will be joining Sitterley Law with their PLAN VAN on July 7. You can reserve your appointment by calling their office or emailing reception@SitterleyLaw.com.
If you’re looking for immediate resources, our healthcare directives document is the ideal place to start in this process and it’s completely free.
When conducting advance care planning, the process should focus on talking about your values, preferences and beliefs and sharing decisions with family members and loved ones to ensure they are clear about your wishes. Research suggests that having conversations about future medical treatment and having a plan in place make it more likely for patients to receive the care they desire.
Formalizing end-of-life or critical care wishes can be done with an advance directive. It includes two types of legal documents: a living will and a durable power of attorney. A living will outlines your healthcare choices when you’re not able to speak for yourself. Durable power of attorney is a legal document that gives an agent the power to carry out your medical wishes. Both a living will and power of attorney go into effect if you cannot speak for yourself. The person you choose as your agent is typically someone who knows you well enough to understand and respect your choices and can talk with your loved ones about your care and desired decisions.
Clear and concise materials to help guide the process of making and documenting healthcare decisions are available for free. Advance Care Planning tools and resources available on TCP’s website include the “Conversation Starter Guide,” the “What Matters to Me Workbook” and the “Guide to Being a Health Care Proxy.”
Once advance directives are completed, make copies and store the documents in a safe place. Provide copies to your health care proxy, health care providers and attorney. Some states have registries that can store your advance directive for quick access by providers and your proxy.
In situations where there is not an advance directive and someone is unable to make their own decisions, state law determines who may make medical decisions. This is often a spouse, parents if they are available, or children if they are adults. Someone who is unmarried and has not named a partner as their proxy could be excluded from decision-making. Documenting preferences can help avoid having to navigate unanticipated issues.
The observation of National Healthcare Decisions Day is an ideal opportunity to ensure adequate plans are in place for your healthcare decisions. It is also a time to educate and encourage other people on the importance of making healthcare decisions in advance.
Whatever someone’s wishes may be, it is a gift to our loved ones to honor those choices to the greatest extent possible.
