Advance Care Planning

1. Advance Care Planning VAN ForumOctober 12, 2010 Michele Fedderly Minnesota Network of Hospice & Palliative Care

2. Advance Care Planning – Giving A Gift • Holiday Season • Over 18? • To yourself and to others • Start Early • Peace of Mind

3. Advance Care Planning • Making your wishes known • Discuss choices with family, loved ones, and providers • Reflect upon these choices in light of personal values, goals, and religious or cultural beliefs • Choose a Health Care Agent • Complete a Health Care Directive and POLST form

4. Advance Care Planning • Conversations That Matter • Health Care Directives • POLST

5. Advance Care Planning • Why do it? • Most of us will die under the care of a health professional • Up to 50% of people are unable to make their own health care decisions when they are near death • Health professionals typically treat when they are uncertain • Loved ones has a significant chance of not knowing a person’s views without discussion

6. Advance Care Planning • What may it include ? • Who makes decisions … health care agent • Their authority • How decisions should be made • When medical treatment should be continued or forgone • What it means to live well

7. Advance Care Planning – Conversations That Matter • How to get started? • Remember it is a gift! • Conversation could be with a parent, spouse or friend • Easier to have the conversation when death is not yet an issue • Talk about what you have done to prepare • Discuss situation of a friend who may be ill • Mention an article you have read

8. Advance Care Planning – Conversations That Matter • Or if that does not work… • Ask a friend or relative to talk with them • Their doctor • Their lawyer • Their faith person

9. Advance Care Planning – Conversations That Matter • When you have a conversation … • Uninterrupted or Distracted • Listen, Listen • Can be awkward • Conversations • Practical Details

10. Health Care Directive • Written document • Purpose of a Health Care Directive • Allows you to appoint a Health Care Agent • Provides a place for your written instructions • Gives you an opportunity to give additional information for your designated health care agent • Requires that you and two witnesses sign

11. Health Care Directive • Should be reviewed when you… • Start a new decade of your life • Experience the death of a loved one • Get married, divorced, or have a major family change • Receive a diagnosis of a serious health condition • Find your health condition is declining

12. Health Care Directive • Honoring Choices Minnesota • Community-wide effort • All metro health care systems will be using the same form [different logos] and can transfer easily between health systems • Trained facilitators to assist in completing the Health Care Directive

13. POLST • Provider Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment • Turns your Health Care Directive into Provider Orders • Provider = MD, DO, and NP/PA [when delegated] • When first-responders arrive can honor the orders • Being used in the metro area and in other self-selected communities … will be expanded

14. Questions • Contact information: • Minnesota Network of Hospice & Palliative Care www.mnhpc.org 651-659-0423