|
Complete Your Own Advance Directive on National Healthcare Decisions Day
On Friday, April 16, 2010, Partners Home Care, Hospice and Private Care will participate in a nation-wide effort to highlight the importance of advance care planning, or making informed decisions in advance about the types and extent of care you desire at the end of life.
Studies have shown that less than one third of all adults have any type of advance directive that would provide the information needed by healthcare professionals if they were unable to communicate their wishes. National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) was designed to remind all people, regardless of age or current health, about the importance of making these health care decisions in advance.
An advance directive is a legal document that tells healthcare providers who you choose to make medical decisions for you and what treatments you would or would not want, in the event that you are unable to make those decisions for yourself.
Advance directives come in 2 basic forms: The first is a "living will," which documents what kinds of medical treatments you would or would not want at the end of life.
The second is a "healthcare proxy," which documents the person you select to speak for you if you are no longer able to make healthcare decisions or speak for yourself. This person may also be referred to as the healthcare or medical “agent” or “representative.” Sometimes called a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, the “healthcare proxy” may be completed by any MA resident as of the age of 18.
It is important to take the time to have thoughtful conversations with your family and healthcare providers about your healthcare choices and to complete a reliable advance directive to communicate your wishes. These decisions should be based on your personal values, beliefs and preferences. Having a document in place will ensure that you are treated the way you really want, and will relieve your loved ones and medical professionals from struggling to make difficult and critical healthcare decisions for you.
If you would like additional information about advance directives, www.caringinfo.org, created by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, and the Massachusetts Medical Society,
www.massmed.org/ma_proxy are very useful websites
Whether on April 16 or a time more convenient for you, it is never too early for you to think about completing an advance directive, or at least to consider your own preferences surrounding end of life care. To learn more about NHDD, visit: www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org
|