In Case You Haven’t Heard - April 16th is National Health Care Decision Day!
April is National Healthcare Decisions Month and April 16th is National Health Care Decision Day. What is National Health Care Decision Day (NHDD), you ask? NHDD was started by a Virginia-based healthcare attorney who wanted to raise awareness of advanced care planning.
Advanced care planning includes 2 main areas:
Deciding your end-of-life medical care preferences
Medical treatment if you are seriously ill or in an accident and unable to make decisions for yourself
With your end-of-life care, you want an Advance Directive to determine what life-saving procedures you want and when to stop them. If you are suddenly injured or ill and cannot agree or disagree with medical care decisions, your Advance Directive will then take effect.
Why is National Health Care Decision Day Important?
It can be hard to find the right time to talk with your family or loved ones about end-of-life decisions but an Advance Directive does not just deal with end-of-life. According to AARP, less than half of all adults have an advance directive. That means families will be unprepared to make these tough decisions. Having a day set aside for this helps begin the conversations.
This special day also gives people time to stop and think about their wishes and beliefs when it comes to medical care. Do you want to be on breathing tubes, dialysis, and other life-saving treatments - and if so, for how long? Do those close to you fully understand your religious beliefs and what you believe is proper healthcare in the hospital?
If you are in an accident and temporarily unable to make medical decisions, have you thought about who you want to speak on your behalf? Have you spoken with this person and specifically told them what treatments you will and will not accept?
National Health Care Decision Day is the perfect time to think about all medical situations and decide ahead of time how to handle each. Now is also the time to legally document your wishes in an advance directive and durable power of attorney.
What is an Advance Directive?
You may have heard of a living will - well, that’s an Advance Directive. It is a legal document that lets your loved ones and medical team know what end-of-life care you want. The advance directive describes under what conditions your family and the healthcare team to begin prolonging your life - and when you want them to stop. It can include treatments such as:
Breathing machines
Dialysis
Tube feeding
Pain or nauseous treatment
Do not resuscitate (DNR)
Organ and tissue donation after you have passed
And more…
National Health Care Decision Day is the time to start talking with your family. It is also the time to meet with an attorney to have your wishes legally documented as an advance directive.
Do You Need an Advance Directive?
Giving someone authority to act on your behalf in medical and legal matters is serious. You need a skilled power of attorney lawyer who can help you create legal documents that protect your interests while giving your agent the necessary authority to get the job done. With 20 years of experience in advance care planning, contact your trusted legal partner, Jammie Taire and the team at SmithTaire Legal. Call us today to draft your Advance Directive.
Schedule an appointment with us today at 678-253-8133 to discuss your situation.