from staff
Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, in collaboration with national, state and community organizations, is encouraging Americans across the country to complete their advance healthcare directives in an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of today as “National Healthcare Decisions Day.”
Despite recent gains in public awareness of the need for advance care planning, studies indicate that most Americans have not exercised their right to make decisions about their healthcare in the event that they cannot speak for themselves.
“Advance care planning is so much more than securing legal documents,” said Susan Ponder-Stansel, president and CEO of Community Hospice. “Advance care planning is about thinking, preparing and communicating so that health decisions are made in a manner that a person desires. It is very important that those discussions take place before a health crisis occurs.”
When advance care planning is correctly executed and properly communicated, a proxy will have the legal authority needed to oversee end-of-life care decisions that allows physicians to provide the best possible treatment consistent with an individual’s wishes. Advance care planning also provides loved ones with the proper guidance they need when making difficult decisions about end-of-life care.
Community Hospice provides complimentary copies of the “Five Wishes” living will to members of the community who live in Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties. The document not only addresses an individual’s choice for a health care surrogate and the kind of medical treatment they want or don’t want, but also offers an opportunity to express personal, emotional and spiritual wishes written in language that is easy to understand. The document was created by Aging With Dignity, a nonprofit organization that works to promote better care for people at the end of life.
To receive a copy of “Five Wishes visit [email protected] call 407-7024.
Aging With Dignity has recognized Community Hospice as “National Innovator” for distributing more than half a million copies of “Five Wishes,” making it the documents’ largest distributor in Florida and the largest provider in a single state.
“Community Hospice has raised the bar in distribution of ‘Five Wishes’. Through their efforts and commitment to educating the public about the importance of advance directives many more people have taken the time to think about end-of-life care, shared their desires with their families and completed their living will,” said Paul D. Malley, president of Aging With Dignity.
Community Hospice encourages all residents in Northeast Florida to take the time to think about what they want and to have that important conversation with their loved ones.
“As our population ages and medical technologies for life-sustaining procedures continue to develop, discussions about what kind of care we want at the end of life is even more important. National Healthcare Decisions Day is a good time to start the conversation with your loved ones about end-of-life issues because the best time to do that is when you are healthy,” said Ponder-Stansel.