10039903_MCM_OCT2021

Wellness

Now is the Time to Start the

Conversation fate for an early death.’ Look at COVID. No one anticipated it. One day you are healthy, and a couple of days later, you could be on a ventilator. Or what Ask yourself … • What does “quality of life” or “living well” mean to you? • If you were having a good day, what would happen on that day? • If you have an unexpected

If you became seriously ill or injured and could not speak for yourself, who would make decisions for you regarding your medical care?

Now is the time to start the conversation.

An Advance Directive allows you to express your wishes for end-of-life care so you are not leaving those decisions to some one else – a family member or a physician, for example, who may not know what your wishes are. “Advance Care Planning is far more than completing a written document,” reports Tommie Franklin, RN, Advance Care Planning Facilitator at Genesys Hurley Cancer Institute (GHCI) in Flint. “It is a process of plan ning end-of-life care, clarifying the medical treatment you want to receive if you cannot voice your preferences on your own, and talking with loved ones about your wishes,” she explains. Franklin works with indi viduals, couples and families to make sure their wishes about medical care are written in their own words, and she walks them through the step-by-step process of completing the documentation. She also helps individuals review the process of choosing their health care advocate – the person who will speak for themwhen they cannot speak for themselves.

about a car accident? If you are the parent of a 25-year-old who was in a motorcycle accident, what would you do? We don’t want to think or talk about these tragedies, but wouldn’t you want your wishes to be known?” In fact, as a result of COVID, there are now two versions of an Advance Directive that individ uals can complete. The first is simpler – it is choosing a health care advocate – someone you trust – to make decisions for you. The second is the full Advance Directive that documents your specific end-of-life wishes. For example, what lifesaving treat ments do you want? Do you want CPR performed? Do you want to be placed on a ventilator? “It is so important to have your wishes in writing or choose an advocate who will speak on your behalf,” she urges. “Don’t leave these important decisions up to someone who doesn’t know what you want. It also helps your family make decisions, because they are following your wishes.”

health emergency and doctors believe there is little chance to recover, what are your wishes? • Who do you want to be in volved in your care? Set up your plan while you are healthy, Franklin advises, and take the burden off your loved ones. She finds that those who complete an Advance Di rective reduce the anxiety and stress for their family, and it can lead to a smoother transi tion into end-of-life care. “By completing a plan, you are not giving up your right to make your own decisions,” she clarifies. “You still make your own health care deci sions until you no longer can verbalize them yourself.” That is the point when an Advance Directive goes into effect. “Some of the statements I have heard are, ‘I’m too young to need an Advance Directive,’ or ‘if I complete an Advance Directive now, I am sealing my

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