Social distancing provides opportunities for advanced care planning

The Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association (PCHPCA) wants to remind everyone that for many, social distancing has created some space and time that could wisely be used to have health-care planning conversations and develop advance care directives.

Everyone 18 years of age and older should have an up-to-date health-care representative, which identifies a person to receive health-care information and make health-care decisions if one is unable to do so. It is recommended to consider choosing a secondary health-care representative in case a primary representative is unable to serve.

If someone has a health-care representative directive, they should review it and be sure it is up to date. If someone does not have one, they should choose a health-care representative and talk with that person about their values and wishes.

If someone or a loved one has a serious illness or advanced frailty, they should reach out to a physician or nurse practitioner to discuss the Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (POST). The Indiana POST is a physician order for treatment determined by a patient’s goals and the treatment options available to the patient based on the individual’s current health situation.

Everyone should encourage family discussions about health-care values and wishes with taking COVID-19 into consideration. Especially for those who are at the highest risk for developing severe illness from the virus, the long-term effects of treatments such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and a ventilator machine are important to learn about and understand.

Through proactively discussing the type of care that is wanted should one become severely ill, the uncertainty can be limited. Knowing this information also limits uncertainty for loved ones and for the clinical teams who can confidently create a plan that aligns with what matters most to each individual.

Information and forms concerning advance care directives and planning can be found on the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) Advance Directives Resource Center at https://www.in.gov/isdh/25880.htm.