National Healthcare Awareness Day
Posted on: 2013 04 15
As a newly 36 year old, I’m still at the age where I feel fairly invincible. It’s hard to imagine that chaos might catch up to me. But I’ve worked in the care field long enough to know that health issues and emergencies happen and often without warning. This is why my husband and I have advanced directives which clearly state our health care wishes should either one of us not be able to voice them. Although I have a good relationship with my mother, am her POA for health care, and have had conversations about what she wants in case she is incapacitated (she has an advanced directive), my step-father is a totally different story. He’s Turkish, estranged from most of my family and his kids (who also happen to live in another country!). Talking about advanced directives and planning is an absolute no go with him. I realize I will be on my own if something happens to him as he refuses to believe that he will be anything but healthy until the day he drops dead! I hope this is not what you’re dealing with. More likely than not, you have family members, aging parents, or a spouse who are willing to discuss and implement an advanced directive but just don’t know where to start the conversation. You might even be struggling with how to start that conversation. If you are, here are some resources to get you started. I’m very indebted to the National Healthcare Decision Day website (www.nhdd.org) for posting these invaluable and well thought out website resources. I’ve cut and pasted them directly below so you can link to them but I also encourage you to visit www.nhdd.org for more information.
Conversation Project (www.conversationproject.org)
The Conversation Project is dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care. They are focused on generating conversations about healthcare wishes with family members and ensuring individuals have thought through what they want at the end of life.
DeathWise (www.deathwise.org)
Deathwise is passionate about motivating people to talk about, make decisions, plan for the end of their lives and then documenting their wishes in an advance directive to ensure their preferences are communicated to their medical services providers, family and friends. Wise Conversations provides trained coaches to meet with and guide small groups of people through conversations about clarifying choices and the process of completing advance directives.
Engage With Grace (www.engagewithgrace.org)
Engage with Grace is a movement with the goal to help people discuss what's important to them so their end of life experience just as purposeful as the way in which they live their lifes. Their movement calls on people to engage in a blog rally every Thanksgiving and also has a call to action to participate in their One Slide project. The One Slide features just five questions designed to get the conversation about end of life care started with loved ones. The Engage with Grace Blog Rally has a different theme every year at Thanksgiving and is an opportunity for people to donate their Facebook, Twitter and Blog updates to raise awareness about the importance of end of life conversations.
Go Wish Cards (http://www.codaalliance.org/gowishfaq.html)
Coda Alliance has a "Go Wish Game," a card game that is a simple way to think and talk about what's important to individuals and their family members if someone becomes seriously ill.
PREPARE (www.prepareforyourcare.org)
PREPARE also refered to as PREPARE For Your Care, is an interactive website serving as a resource for families navigating medical decision making. A printable pamphlet with tips by PREPARE is available here. Finally, as you plan and put together your advanced directives, I hope you will consider becoming an organ donor. It’s a simple thing to do and it can save a life. According to www.organdonor.gov there are 117,761 people waiting for an organ. 18 people will die each day waiting for an organ. 1 organ donor can save up to 8 lives. In Vermont you can sign the back of your license to become an organ donor. You can also visit www.organdonor.gov to register in your state. You are never too old or too young to donate. Just think, you could save a life.