April 16, 2010 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. From 11:30 am - 1:30 pm tomorrow, Saint Joseph Chaplains will be available at a table outside Lakeside Dining at the Mishawaka hospital to provide information about Advanced Directives and tools for talking about wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers and executing written advance directives in accordance with Indiana state laws. Packets of all the forms will be available.
National Healthcare Decisions Day was established to encourage people to initiate conversation about their personal healthcare decisions and advanced directives.
By creating a dialogue, fewer families and providers will have to struggle with making potentially difficult decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient. Healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address a crisis and honor a patient's wishes.
What is an advance directive? All adults can benefit from thinking about what their healthcare choices would be if in the future they were unable to speak for themselves. These decisions can be written down in an advance directive so that others know.
National Healthcare Decisions Day was established to encourage people to initiate conversation about their personal healthcare decisions and advanced directives.
By creating a dialogue, fewer families and providers will have to struggle with making potentially difficult decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient. Healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address a crisis and honor a patient's wishes.
What is an advance directive? All adults can benefit from thinking about what their healthcare choices would be if in the future they were unable to speak for themselves. These decisions can be written down in an advance directive so that others know.
Advance directives come in two main forms:
- A healthcare power of attorney (or proxy, agent or surrogate) documents the person you select to be your voice to make decisions should you not be able to.
- A living will documents the types of medical treatments you would or would not want at the end of life.
Our Saint Joseph Chaplains are always available to help patients and families discuss Advance Directives and complete necessary paperwork.
For more information contact Rev. Sue Breiner at (574) 335-2312.
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