As a nurse practitioner for the palliative care program at Harvard Vanguard, I recently met Michael during my visit to his home. Michael had recently been hospitalized and returned home needing portable oxygen and a walker. As part of my visit, we talked about his life and how he is coping with his illness. When I asked him how he wanted to be cared for as his illness progressed, he didn’t have a ready answer. He hadn’t thought about who should be in charge of his care if he wasn’t able to share his wishes with me or others caring for him.
Unfortunately, my experience with Michael is all too common. Many of us don’t think about or face these difficult topics every day, and we haven’t talked to our loved ones or the clinicians taking care of us about our wishes. A 2013 Pew Research Study confirms this. The study found that, even among Americans ages 75 and older, 25% say they have not given very much or any thought to their end-of-life wishes.
Moreover, Americans’ level of preparation for end-of-life medical decisions has not changed much over time. The Pew Research Study states: “The share of Americans who report having given a great deal of thought to their own wishes for end-of-life medical treatment (37%) is roughly the same as it was in a 2005 Pew Research Center survey and up modestly from 23 years ago, when 28% said they had given a great deal of thought to their wishes.”
Thursday, April 16th, is National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) – let your choices be known.
NHDD was created to help build awareness and to educate everyone, young and old, about how to document their healthcare treatment choices before a crisis occurs. This day provides the opportunity for you to think about at least three main points:
- Who would you want (and would be able to uphold) your wishes for care if you are unable to communicate
- How to talk to your designated caregiver and your provider about upholding your wishes
- How advance care planning can greatly ease the burdens of those helping to care for you
It’s important to reflect on, clearly communicate and document your wishes for end-of-life medical care to your loved ones and caregivers. Knowing how you want to be taken care of when you are no longer able to make your needs known not only allows your provider to tailor treatment to suit your goals, but also helps guide those who care about you during that difficult time.
Here are a few good resources to help you learn more about getting the conversation started:
- The Conversation Project is dedicated to helping people talk about their wishes for end-of-life care. Starting with a conversation, it helps create a shared understanding of what is most important to you, not just focusing on medical decisions.
- Aging with Dignity highlights Five Wishes, a document which helps you think about your personal, emotional and spiritual needs as well as your medical wishes.
- The NHDD website is resource-rich in providing education and information about advance directives and how to approach the planning and recording of your preferences for your care.
- The American Bar Association has compiled a helpful guide that defines what a healthcare proxy is and how to legally designate someone to represent you and your end-of-life wishes.
- Caring Connections offers free, state-specific advance directives for all 50 states and DC that meet the legal requirements for each state.
- Engage with Grace has created simple, clear tools to guide you and your loved ones through this conversation so that all aspects of your wishes can be revealed.
At Harvard Vanguard in Braintree, we will be recognizing National Healthcare Decisions Day on Thursday, April 16th by holding two discussion sessions at 10 am and at 2 pm, to encourage these conversations. For more information, please call (617) 421-2686.
Although this topic can be difficult to initiate, we hope you will join us to learn more. In addition to the two more formal discussions, we will have someone available throughout the day to help start, continue and encourage these conversations.
As a provider, I encourage my patients to talk with me about the loved ones in their life who know what their wishes are and the type of care they would want. Now, I give this charge to you. We hope you will join us on Thursday, April 16th.
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Braintree is located at 111 Grossman Drive.