10 Your voice. Your value. Your healthcare Your decisions about what type of medical care you want are important. When we share our healthcare preferences through an advance directive, our loved ones and healthcare providers never have to guess what we would want if there were to be a time that we couldn’t make our decisions. Everyone deserves to have their healthcare wishes known and honored. To some people the concept of advance care planning might be new or unfamiliar. Advance care planning is simply thinking about what types of medical care are most in line with your faith, values, and personal definition of quality of life. Spending this time reflecting about what type of care you want or do not want, and how you want to be cared for, will allow you to develop a plan called an advance directive. This can offer valuable peace of mind to you and your loved ones. There are no right or wrong answers in advance care planning. What is best for you might be different for another person. The only thing that is the same for all adults is that advance care planning is an important part of routine healthcare. Please follow the steps below to make sure you are always at the center of your healthcare. First, decide who you want to make medical decisions for you in case you can’t make or voice your wishes. This should be the person or people who will be the best advocate for you. This can be a family member, but family can be too emotionally involved at times. Be sure to ask if they are willing to serve in this trusted role. Next, think about what type of healthcare is important to you. Any medical care can include benefits as well as burdens. Make sure you understand both the potential benefits and burdens of any care choices that you make. Your medical provider can help with questions that you might have. Now, complete an advance directive. Presbyterian has made the process easy with a new electronic advance directive. You can access this site in your Presbyterian MyChart by selecting “Advance Directives” from the menu options, or you can visit www.phs.org/tools-resources/patient/Pages/advance-directive.aspx for more information. Support is available to navigate these conversations. Presbyterian offers free sessions with advance care planning specialists. To schedule an appointment, call 1-866-773-7226.
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