As we go through life, we are faced with different choices and decisions that bring great responsibility. Seemingly every day, these decisions can include planning for your own personal, mental, physical and financial care for today and into our future. Many people end up just making decisions for today and their long term health and well-being suffer because of this.
Day in and day out, we’re always too busy to think about our healthcare because we have all the excuses in the world, i.e: “I am healthy right now”, “that likely won’t happen to me”, “i plan to have more money when I am old”, “the government will support me through retirement”, “Medicare should pay for it. None of which are accurate. You see, one does not expect to lose a limb, a job, eyesight, memory, and one definitely does not plan for losing all and total control of their life.
Nowadays we see this more and more in healthcare. We see patients and residents of hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities and such, come in and admit they are absolutely clueless as to what lies ahead for them. Many people go into old age unprepared and expecting others to pull their weight in taking care of them. This is neither right or fair to your loved ones, nor is it safe for you and your care. It is each individual’s responsibility to see to it that they will have the care they need or at least the resources sufficient enough to provide the care and assistance they may need.
It is important to understand that there are several methods of planning and steps one can take in order to be better prepared for old age. It is also our responsibility as a society to ensure those around us are also educated on what choices they have. To start, your PCP (primary care physician) can provide you with a P.O.L.S.T. (Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment) form where you can specify what type and level of care you would prefer should your heart suddenly stop or an accident occur leaving you without the mental capacity to make this decision. This form specifies whether you want resuscitation to be attempted or natural life to be allowed to take its course as well as trial periods of artificial nutrition vs long term life sustaining nutrition. Ethically, medical providers are to follow those doctor’s orders. However, lacking this form, all medical providers are to assume resuscitation is desired and they are to jump in and give their full attempt to bring you back as well as place you on long term artificial nutrition potentially prolonging a poor quality of life. Your POLST form is filled out by you and signed by you along with your medical doctor (PCP).
Additionally, you may initiate a legal advanced directive with even more specifications of what interventions you’d allow should you be in a situation where you are unable to make your needs or desires known. You can appoint a loved one or someone you trust to be your durable power of attorney for medical and/or financial decision making. This document is populated by you, your attorney and signed by all plus your appointed loved one. These documents will stand and be respected in any hospital or nursing home setting should you find yourself in need of admittance to any of these places. A serious conversation regarding your desires, expectations and moral values should be held with your appointed loved one to ensure this person will fully advocate for you in a time of hardship.
As you can see, having these documents at an early stage in life allows you to be prepared if something happens and does not automatically impose a huge burden on your loved ones forcing them to make those tough decisions for you. Being able to voice these desires and concerns within your household to those loved ones around you is of extreme importance in order to ensure you are well taken care of should something happen to you. Realistically, we never know when something will pop up so it is always better to be ready for it. Take action and responsibility for yourself and your care. No medical facility or insurance will be able to provide this for you or advocate for you as best as your loved ones.
If you are already preparing these documents, we’d love to hear what healthcare needs and care you are prioritizing. Thank you for reading!