If you had a health crisis, would your family know your wishes about your care? Sadly, for many people the answer is no. Families often find it difficult to ask questions about what their loved one would want in the event of a health emergency, and a conversation about advanced care planning is frequently delayed until a crisis occurs. As stressful as this conversation may be, it is an important one to have, and sooner rather than later. Senior Lifestyle proudly supports National Healthcare Decisions Day as a means of empowering our residents and families with information and access to tools to make advanced care planning easier.
National Healthcare Decisions Day, observed on April 16th, encourages meaningful conversations about advanced care planning. This annual event aims to empower people with information on how to discuss and put in writing their wishes should they become seriously ill and unable to communicate those wishes to a loved one or healthcare provider. In addition, the initiative provides healthcare providers with tool kits to aid them in starting a conversation with patients about advanced care planning. The project also focuses on much more than just living wills, inspiring families to discuss the aspects of care that matter most to them and encouraging hospitals and other care facilities to respect those wishes.
For many, the prospect of talking about final wishes is daunting, and the process of making those wishes known to loved ones and healthcare providers may seem mysterious and unnecessarily convoluted. As an initiative of The Conversation Project, NHDD works to make the process of advanced care planning less frightening by providing simple, concise information to families, healthcare providers and communities. This information is free and available in all 50 states, using uniform tools tailored to state guidelines to enable individuals to make their wishes known to their loved ones and healthcare providers.
Provide yourself and your loved ones with peace of mind by taking the time to think about and share your wishes. For more information about National Healthcare Decisions Day, go to theconversationproject.org or visit our website at Senior Lifestyle to find a community near you and start a conversation today.