Written by Vicki Dougherty, Advance Care Planning, ECU Health
Imagine this… You get hit by a bus on the way home today, and taken to the closest hospital by Emergency Medical Personnel (EMS). You’re unconscious, and all EMS was able to find was your driver’s license. How would the hospital contact someone that would know what medical decisions you would want? Have you ever thought about who would be making health care decisions for you if, or when, you couldn’t speak for yourself?
Now, Imagine This…You are in the same accident, carried to the closest hospital, unconscious, with only your driver’s license. In the Emergency Department, when they enter your name and date of birth, they realize that a medical record was created for you that includes an Advance Directive. In the attached Health Care Power of Attorney, you have named your sibling as your Health Care agent, with pertinent contact information in place. They immediately know who to call, and can be assured this person has the legal authority to make medical decisions on your behalf. They also know that you have talked with your designated health care agent, and the agent is aware of what type of care you would want. Phew – what a relief for both you and the medical team!
This month, during National Healthcare Decisions month, you are encouraged to take this opportunity to begin the process of getting your thoughts and your legal paperwork in place. Remember, advance care planning is a process, and the Step 1 is to think about what is important to you. After you determine what matters most to you, you can move to Step 2, and talk with those that may be involved in your care (your family, loved ones, health care team, etc). Once you have talked with these important people, you need to decide who is the best person to serve as your “voice” when you can not speak for yourself. Then, you need to make it legal by proceeding to Step 3, documenting your wishes on the proper forms and having the paperwork notarized and witnessed. These are things that ECU Health can assist with free of charge.
These are often difficult conversations to initiate, but these conversations can help you select the right health care agent for you. These conversations are important, and will make a huge difference in not only the care you receive in the future, but also in the comfort level of the person you have chosen to help in honoring your decisions. That person will KNOW what is important to you, and know that they are doing what you would do if you were able.
ECU Health has a free service that can help you get these important documents in place, and that the documents can then be saved to your electronic health record. And, even if you have never been treated at an ECU Health facility, ECU Health will create a new record that will file your Advance Directives so they will be in the system if ever needed. If you show up at any ECU Health facility, those documents will be available to your medical team.
Talk about it – start these vital conversations. Get Started by downloading an Advance Care Planning Toolkit from www.ECUHealth.org/advancecare , attend or schedule an free event in your area to learn more, or email us at AdvanceCare@ECUHealth.org. And, if you have already completed your Advance Directives, possibly as a part of your Estate Planning, contact us and we can guide you on how to get your Healthcare documents scanned to your electronic health record!
It is important, so Let’s Talk About It!