Thursday was National Health Care Decisions Day, and community members from all walks of life convened at Hospice of Hilo’s Community Center to learn more about making informed end-of-life decisions. ADVERTISING Thursday was National Health Care Decisions Day, and community
Thursday was National Health Care Decisions Day, and community members from all walks of life convened at Hospice of Hilo’s Community Center to learn more about making informed end-of-life decisions.
The group, consisting of representatives from local religious groups, insurance companies, retired community leaders, senior agencies and health care organizations, spent the evening learning how to document end-of-life wishes and share these decisions with their loved ones. The presentation, titled “Demystifying Advanced Health Care Directives,” was a two-part series hosted by Hospice of Hilo and grassroots nonprofit Community First to help participants have “the conversation” about end-of-life wishes.
“More and more we are seeing members of the community suffer tremendously at the end of life because their loved ones do not know the extent to which the patient would like to prolong their life artificially,” said Community First board chairman Barry Taniguchi. “Advanced Health Care Directives are a gift parents can give to their children in order to provide instructions on how to proceed should they no longer be able to speak for themselves.”
A study published by the British Medical Journal noted patients who have completed an AHCD and discussed their wishes with their agent and/or family resulted in, “improved end-of-life care, reduced incidence of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress in surviving relatives, and improved patient and family satisfaction with hospital care.”
To find out more about Advanced Health Care Directives and other health planning documents and resources, visit www.kokuamau.org, or call Hospice of Hilo at 969-1733.
