Advanced Directives

The Advance Directive

Health Care Proxy

A Health Care Proxy (HCP) is a document that a person fills out appointing someone to make decisions about medical care in the event that you are unable to speak for yourself.  The HCP is especially useful because it appoints a person to speak your wishes. TIP: The person you appoint needs to know your wishes. Have open discussion with the HCP prior to appointing them.

Living Will

A living will is legal document usually developed with an attorney that lets you, the patient state your wishes in writting regarding medical care if you are terminally ill, unconscious, or minimally conscious and you cant express them yourself. Tip: When deveolping this document avoid using ambiguios language such as “no heroic measures,or ” no life sustaining treatment”

Hospice Care

In the early days, hospice concept was offering a place of rest for tired, sick travelers. It has evolved since those days….

The hospice philosophy recognizes death as the final stage of life. Hospice provides a holistic approach involving the patient and family in making decisions. It strives for quality of life rather than length.

Care is provided 24 hors per day 7 days per week in the patients home, hospital, skilled nursing facility,  Assisted Living facility, or in a hospice care center.

Hospice is appropriate when there is no longer a benefit from curative treatment and life expectancy is 6 months or less. Most people seek hospice late and dont take advantage of all the services they provide. Patients doctors resist because they believe that they are giving up hope. This is not true. If the patient stablizes, condition improves or the diease goes into remission , you can be discharged from hospice and receive active treatment.

Hospice provides:

Pain and Symptom management

Spiritual care

Home care and In Patient Care

Respite Care

Family Conference

Bereavment Care

Supplies and Equipment

Medications

Volunteer services

Home Health Aide Services

Skilled Nursing Care

Social Workers

Pastoral Care

 All private Insurance and Medicare has a hospice benefit

Advocate For Your Loved One

Be your loved ones advocate, especially if they can’t be their own. In today,s ever-changing health care system, doctors and health care facilities are required to have alot of paients and move them through the system quickly.Important issues will be missed and many mistakes will be made.Some can be avoid if the advocate keeps a list of current up to date medications, allergies, diagnosis, recent test,and DNR status.Be assertive, do not ever assume that if it was ordered by a MD, carried out by a nurse or a staff member from the doctor and or hospital that it is correct. That is not alway so.

Advanced Directives

The Advance Directive

Health Care Proxy

A Health Care Proxy (HCP) is a document that a person fills out appointing someone to make decisions about medical care in the event that you are unable to speak for yourself.  The HCP is especially useful because it appoints a person to speak your wishes. TIP: The person you appoint needs to know your wishes. Have open discussion with the HCP prior to appointing them.

Living Will

A living will is legal document usually developed with an attorney that lets you, the patient state your wishes in writting regarding medical care if you are terminally ill, unconscious, or minimally conscious and you cant express them yourself. Tip: When deveolping this document avoid using ambiguios language such as “no heroic measures,or ” no life sustaining treatment”

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