Emmanuel Hospice: Demystifying End-of-Life Planning on National Healthcare Decisions Day

Each month we will be bringing you a newsletter piece from Emmanuel Hospice. Emmanuel Hospice has been recognized as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in West Michigan and in the nation. The article below was written by Emmanuel Hospice.

Want in on a little secret?

The day typically known as “tax day” might arguably be the second most important date to consider each spring.

The other?

It’s known as “National Healthcare Decisions Day,” or NHDD.

It doesn’t have the reputation owned by tax day, which is typically April 15, but has been extended the last two years due to the ongoing pandemic. But in some ways, NHDD can exert as much or even more influence over you and your family than remembering to file your taxes.

Annually observed on April 16 the last dozen consecutive years, NHDD stresses the importance of talking with your loved ones about end-of-life health care wishes, and documenting those desires in what’s known as an advance directive, also known as a “living will.”

Having those plans in place – and designating an advocate ahead of a health crisis or death – ensures you get the care you want, and how you want it delivered.

“At Emmanuel Hospice, we see up close and firsthand the stress that surfaces if people delay those decisions,” said Sara Lowe, executive director. “And on the other side, we marvel at how seamlessly a person’s wishes can be honored when they make the decision months or years ahead of time with an advance directive and other measures to address the future.

“And now, during the COVID-19 crisis, setting aside time for these considerations is seen as even more vital.

“We realize how difficult it is to sometimes initiate these conversations, because they deal candidly with death,” said Lowe. “But the alternative is to risk allowing more chaos to surface when the situation with a loved one is hard enough already. Making an active decision to have ‘the talk’ ensures that all parties are on the same page when it comes to critical decisions.”

As a spokesperson for the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, also known as NHPCO, has put it, “Far too many Americans put off talking about their health care wishes and then they find themselves in a medical crisis, and it may be too late to ensure that you get the care you want.”

Certainly, it must begin with what’s usually a tough conversation that brings death to the forefront. But you’re not alone. Suggestions for how to begin talking – as well as state-specific advance directive forms – are available on more than a handful of websites, including NHPCO.org.

The benefits of putting plans into place include:

  • Even if you can’t speak or otherwise communicate your wishes while critically ill, having advance care documents in place ensures your loved ones and healthcare professionals know them.
  • Relatives will be less apt to contest your final wishes if you’ve directed them ahead of time.
  • By insisting on an advance directive and other measures, you may inspire other friends and family members to consider following suit, creating a culture of caring that extends to more than just yourself and your loved ones.

Michiganders also can find help through the advance care planning services of Michigan Health Information Network Shared Services at MiHIN.org/advance-care-planning or 844.454.2443. You can set up an appointment with trained facilitators who will help you spark a conversation that will lead to the creation of an advance directive tailored to your specific needs.

“Nobody likes to think about their own mortality,” Lowe said. “But just like tax day, which sometimes means cutting a check or two we never saw coming, living life means being challenged from time to time.

“How we respond to those challenges helps define our will and sense of character. When a family knows or learns that someone they love has taken the tough steps to put their wishes into place ahead of time, that action surfaces as a blessing. And these days, we can all use a little more of those.”

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