April 9, 2024
April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day
April 16, National Healthcare Decisions Day, is an initiative encouraging families to have frank discussions about end-of-life health care wishes. When put into writing, those health care wishes can become advance directives – documents that provide guidance and instructions for those entrusted with a loved one’s care.
“The reason it's so important to talk about those things before someone is critically ill or there’s an emergency, is that in that moment we need to make decisions, often times very rapidly. The patient often is not able to be involved in those decisions anymore,” said EveryStep chief medical director Dr. Tom Mouser. “It’s really important to establish ahead of time what is important to the patient, what they value, the kinds of things that they would and would not want.”
“The advance care planning process is just as much for the patient and making sure that their wishes are honored as it is for the family and making sure that they have that peace of mind, knowing that they did exactly what their loved one wanted them to do.”
Advance directives are legal documents that allow people to give directions for their medical care, should they become unable to speak for themselves. There are several types of advance directive documents; two major documents used in Iowa are the durable power of attorney for health care (DPOAH) and the living will.
In a DPOAH document, an individual can appoint a person to make decisions about their medical care if they are unable to make those decisions due to illness or injury. A living will enables an individual to describe their wishes about the administration of medical treatment or life-sustaining procedures if they become unable to communicate due to a serious or terminal condition.
Both types of advance directives only go into effect if a person is unable to communicate his or her wishes. People who are lucid or able can make their own healthcare decisions – even if those decisions contradict their advanced directives.
“The advance care planning process is just as much for the patient and making sure that their wishes are honored as it is for the family and making sure that they have that peace of mind, knowing that they did exactly what their loved one wanted them to do,” said Mouser.
You may download a free advance care planning guide here.
If you or someone you know is struggling to find the support they need, please contact EveryStep at 515-558-9946 or complete the commitment-free, confidential “Find Care” form on EveryStep’s website here. EveryStep staff will follow up with a phone call to answer your questions and provide assistance.