Healthcare Decisions Day is Monday

Friday, April 13, 2018
Members of Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association witness Greencastle Mayor Bill Dory sign a proclamation declaring Monday, April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day in Greencastle. Joining the mayor in front are Jinsie Bingham (left) and Julianne Miranda with (standing, from left) Kayla Chiles, Sharon Nicoson, Tammy Hunter and Charity Pankratz in back.
Courtesy photo

Residents are invited to join the Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association as it celebrates National Healthcare Decisions Day.

Monday, April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD).

Nathan Kottkamp, founder and chairman of National Healthcare Decisions Day, saw the need for creating a day to discuss healthcare decisions after serving on several hospital ethics committees and being repeatedly confronted with distressful end of life situations. Families, providers and hospital administrators struggled to interpret the wishes of patients who never made their healthcare wishes known or failed to complete an advance directive to record their stated wishes. Both the loved one and their families suffered undue burden because wishes and needs were not written and shared.

The objectives of NHDD are:

• To provide information to the public.

• To reduce the difficulties that occur when a person’s wishes are unknown.

• To improve the ability of healthcare facilities and providers to offer informed and thoughtful guidance about advance healthcare planning to their patients.

The particular day of April 16 was inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s quip that “nothing in life is certain but death and taxes.”

The decisions aren’t only for end-of-life discussions, but to encourage all adults to discuss and document their wishes for any event in which they cannot speak for themselves. Studies show that only about 27 percent of adults have engaged in advance care planning.

The Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association will host ”Dessert and Decisions” on April 16 in the Putnam County Hospital’s medical offices reception area from noon to 6 p.m.

Guests can pick up free copies of advance care planning documents, engage in conversations with PCHPCA board members and have dessert.

For links to resources visit www.pchpca.org.

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