National Healthcare Decisions Day

April 16th often takes a backseat to the day that precedes it: April 15th has all the infamous glory of being Tax Day. As the designated day for National Healthcare Decisions Day, April 16th is becoming known in its own right as a day to remember. The connection between the two dates emerges from Ben Franklin's saying that "In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes."

National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) is an annual event designed to remind everyone over the age of eighteen to complete or review the essential documents that state their healthcare wishes. The notion of "Advance Planning" is in completing the documents before we need them, when we can still speak for ourselves.

Essential documents include our Living Will (end of life instructions for care we want or don't want); Healthcare Power of Attorney (a document that names a person to speak for you in the event you cannot speak for yourself), and, in some cases, the NM MOST form, or New Mexico Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment, which specifies the approach to care you would like if you are in the hospital and unable to voice your preferences.

The nature of these documents can make it easy to procrastinate in completing them. For one, we don't like to think about end of life or serious medical situations. We also are sometimes uncertain about what we would want: how do we know, from where we stand now, what we will want in situations that might be unimaginable while we still enjoy good health? Fortunately, a wealth of resources is available to help work through the process of making advance care decisions. They include:

The Conversation Project, with workbooks and videos to help us understand what matters most.

CaringInfo, which provides education about the advance planning decision-making process.

Compassion & Choices, which gives a broad overview and workbook to aid in decision-making surrounding end of life.

End of Life Options New Mexico, which provides education and support to New Mexicans in understanding healthcare planning and end of life wishes.

At Enchanted Sky Hospice, we recognize the value of respecting individual choice when it comes to end of life concerns. Please reach out if we can be of help in this important process.