Healthcare decisions may not be fun, but they’re important. So important, in fact, that there’s a national day dedicated to the necessary task of advance care planning. And although tedious, it doesn’t have to be so burdensome.
Here are some of the blogs and videos we’ve created over the years with useful information that will come in handy the next time any advance care-planning decisions are discussed or made.
What You Need to Know About Advanced Care Planning
National Healthcare Decisions Day specifically focuses on sharing the importance of advance care planning. Naturally, the first question may be, “what is advance care planning?” There are basic explanations about advance care directives, which are the written documents included in advance care planning, such as a living will and a durable power of attorney, in this helpful article.
What You Need to Begin the Advance Care Planning Process
Having a general idea of what type of care, procedures, or post-life arrangements one would like to have is not the same as possessing the written, legal documents to ensure these things will take place if one becomes unable to make these healthcare decisions for themselves. And, regardless of discussions, not having the documents to prove these end-of-life wishes can leave families stressed and torn in the event of an emergency. This article helps outline a few potential considerations to make, which can help take end-of-life wishes and turn them into useful advance care directives that give clear guidance to family and medical staff about necessary next steps regarding healthcare.
Myths about Estate Planning
In this video, Eldercare Law Attorney, Debra Schuster breaks down the common myths of estate planning, and lists the essential planning documents families will need.
How to Decide Who to Involve In the Decisions
There are a lot of moving parts of care and it can take a village to address them all. After learning about the necessary advance directives and top considerations to make, it may be a good idea to decide who to involve in these upcoming decisions. This is a guide to help outline the different roles of a care team and assign loved ones to the roles best suited for them. This article offers guidance ranging from who will pay for aspects of a sick loved one’s medical care to appointing a medical power of attorney who will make decisions about medical care a sick loved one will receive.
Information About Elder and Family Mediation
With emotions running high, healthcare discussions among families can sometimes become tense. This video from Deb Schuster, goes over ways to maintain family relationships and develop solutions in the best interest of a sick loved one through elder mediation.
How to Prepare For Discussions With The Physician
Having discussions about end of life is not easy, and sometimes families or caregivers fail to bring up these discussions with their sick loved one’s doctor. In this article, steps for initiating the conversation, articulating concerns, and other necessary steps to take in preparation, are all discussed with Advanced Illness Management Clinical Physician, Dr. Mary Fox.
In the video below, Dr. Fox explains how she approaches discussions about the end-of-life with chronically sick patients (or their families) about the next steps for their care.
