By Robert Sawicki, MD
When you are sick, you don’t feel like doing a lot of things. When you are seriously ill, you may not be able to do much. In fact, the majority of us cannot express our own wishes when we are near the end of life. It is important for all of us to pick someone to speak for us when we cannot, and to make sure that person knows how to make decisions we would be comfortable with. National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16. It is a day set aside to encourage people to have discussions around their values and how those values impact potential future health care decisions.
A lot of attention has been given lately to the subject of health care, especially health care at the end of life. It is often expensive, and many times not consistent with our desires. Most of us would prefer to spend our final days at home in familiar surroundings, yet most of us will die in a hospital or facility. How this happens and what we can do about it is the subject of a book by Dr. Atul Gawande called Being Mortal. It describes his personal experiences with death, both in his patients and in his family. The book was so well received that PBS filmed a documentary about it. That film will be reviewed in Peoria on April 6 at the Hult Center for Healthy Living. The event will begin at 5p.m. with a light meal. After the film, we will have a panel discussion about it with local experts in the field. Representatives from OSF HealthCare and UnityPoint Health will be on hand to help arrange for appointments to discuss with a trained facilitator.
While the end of our lives is not a subject most of want to talk about, it is important that we do so, both for our own peace of mind and for our loved ones. Having these conversations is a real gift to them. We may believe our families know what we want, but studies have shown this just isn’t the case most of the time. They don’t know if we don’t tell them! When families have to make decisions without the input of the patient, they are often left distraught, for a very long time, and second guess themselves for sometimes years afterwards.
It is true that in Illinois, if no one is designated as a health care power of attorney, someone can be named. The state has a particular hierarchy of those who should be appointed, but there is a lot that can and does go wrong in those situations. For example, someone who is separated but not divorced may find their legal spouse making decisions for them. That could be uncomfortable, to say the least.
The best way to handle things is to plan ahead. While we cannot anticipate every situation, or understand ahead of time the particulars of what we may be faced with, we can learn to share with our agent how they can think about things as if we were there guiding them. That can leave us with peace of mind, and them more comfortable when decisions must be made.
It’s important. Join us, and have the conversation!
Join us on Thursday April 6, 2017, for an exciting event on “Advance Care Planning.” Check out the ad on this page for further details.