Vitas

 

 

Advance Directives: Make Your Healthcare Wishes Known

 

By Natalia Hernandez, VITAS Healthcare

 

A main concern for most people faced with a life-limiting illness is whether they will be able to die wherever they call “home.” Hospice care helps eliminate that worry, making it possible for people to spend their final moments of life in their preferred surroundings, alongside the people they know and love, in the midst of their familiar routines.

 

Studies show fewer than 30 percent of Americans take the time to develop thorough instructions for their end-of-life care. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) suggests that the best way to get others to discuss end-of-life care is to do so yourself. Almost half of Americans say they would rely on family or friends to carry out their wishes about end-of-life care, but most have never expressed those wishes.

 

Five Wishes (www.agingwithdignity.org) helps people express how they want to be treated if they are seriously ill and unable to speak for themselves. It addresses all aspects of people’s needs, including: medical, personal, emotional and spiritual.

 

Five Wishes lets your family and doctors know:

 

• Who you want to make health care decisions for you when you can’t make them.
• The kind of medical treatment you want or don’t want.
• How comfortable you want to be.
• How you want people to treat you.
• What you want your loved ones to know.

 

There are two types of advance directives: a health care power of attorney and a living will. A health care power of attorney allows a person to designate someone to make medical decisions on their behalf if they are unable to do so. A living will outlines a person’s end-of-life wishes, including the type of medical treatment they want or don’t want.

 

Additionally, hospice is intended to help people during the final six months of life. Unlike common misconceptions suggesting that hospice is a “place,” hospice is a philosophy of care that focuses on enhancing people’s comfort and quality of life during their final moments of life. Hospice care is provided by skilled, interdisciplinary teams of hospice care experts dedicated to ensuring the best-possible quality of life for patients and their loved ones. It includes expert pain management by treating physical symptoms, while providing emotional and spiritual support for the patient and their family or loved ones.

 

Covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans, hospice care is provided wherever the patient resides. Whether at their private residence, hospice inpatient units, nursing homes, assisted living communities or residential care facilities.

Palliative care is another medical specialty focusing on managing pain and symptoms. It involves extensive communication with physicians to help patients and their loved ones navigate complex matters and make decisions that are best for them. The goal of palliative care is to understand patients’ desires and values and match them with appropriate plans of care. Palliative care is focused on patients, not diseases. It ensures that throughout the course of their illnesses, patients are in control of their care and can make informed decisions, while also improving their comfort and quality of life.

Understanding your end-of-life care options is vital to preserve your quality of life at the end of life. VITAS Healthcare is the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care services. The company is proud to serve the state of Florida and has been doing so since 1978. Its footprint in the state has expanded to include nine locations and 15 inpatient units. For more information about advance directives or hospice care, call (407) 875-0028 or visit www.VITAS.com/Florida