**Full Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Most of the points are taken by permission from an article about National Healthcare Decision Day written by Dr. Chad Bittner, Chief Medical Officer, Optum, Salt Lake City.
Did you know today is National Healthcare Decision Day? I didn’t know there was a special day regarding that, but I can very much understand the importance of it. Knowing the kind of healthcare you or your family members want to receive near the end of life is important to discuss. It might seem scary or awkward, but if you plan ahead, then your family will know your wishes before you or they are in the situation where it might be harder for them to make the decisions for you.
April 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day! It is a day set aside to encourage all of us to discuss important advance planning health care wishes. It’s an opportunity to begin the process of documenting those wishes as part of routine care before a stressful health crisis arises.
Conversations like these aren’t easy, and might feel awkward and a bit uneasy to have, but they can also be powerful conversations to have with your family members. They can ensure that your end-of-life care preferences are honored and it will help reduce stress and uncertainty. Some people might think they don’t need to have these conversations until they are really old, but by planning today you can take comfrot everyday that your loved ones will receive the treatments they want, and avoid the care that they don’t want at the end of their life.
We all know that this subject is important to talk about, but most of us don’t actually take the time to do it.
“According to a national survey, more than 90% of the people think it’s important to talk about their loved ones’ and their own wishes for end-of-life care, but fewer than 30% of people have actually had the conversation. Many people simply haven’t gotten around to taking the necessary steps to crystallize what they want and to formalize it. Sometimes it’s because people don’t know how to start the conversation with their loved ones.”
Here are some suggestions by Dr. Chat Bittner on how to get the conversation started…
A great way to start is by thinking about what is most important to you if you or your loved ones were facing a life threatening or progressive illness and then you can move on to thoughtful and open conversations with those you love. Sometimes those conversations can be the toughest, so here are some simple steps to get the conversation started:
Tips on How to Begin Necessary Conversations with Loved Ones about Their Healthcare Wishes
- Think about what is most important to you.What are your greatest fears, hopes and goals? Who would you prefer to make decisions on your behalf with your physicians if you could not? How sure are you of your choices? Do you want your chosen proxy to have leeway to change your decisions? Now you are ready to discuss these topics with your loved ones to reach a shared understanding of your desires.
- Talk with your loved ones. Honest communication can help families avoid the stress of guessing what a family member would have wanted. Be open with each other and focus on really understanding the views of those you love. You may find that you and your loved ones may see some things differently. That’s okay. Talk through it, listen and keep an open mind.
- Make it official. Once you’ve had the conversation, formalize your decisions by putting them in writing. There are several ways. An advance directive can help describe your medical wishes when you no longer can. Special medical orders can be developed with your doctor. Finally, a health care proxy identifies your health care agent—the person you trust to act on your behalf if you are unable to make decisions or communicate your wishes.
- Get help.You can find valuable resources to help you think through these issues and make decisions more manageable at www.optumcare.com and theconversationproject.org.
“This is a process and it does take some time, but it is well worth it. I have seen firsthand the sense of peace, calm and satisfaction families experience knowing their loved ones wishes are granted, and with these details taken care of you will have more precious and memorable time to spend with your loving family members.”
So are you going to use today to talk about your healthcare wishes?
