Are you starting to plan for your end of life care? Well! Planning for the end of life care can be tough. But what if we say there’s a way to make things easier for you and your family? We have two words for you: Advance Directives. An Advance Directive ensures your wishes regarding healthcare are carried out, even in cases where you can’t express them yourself.
Advance directives are an important part of your end-of-life health care. It helps your loved ones and medical personnel make important decisions regarding medical procedures. Through an Advance Directive, you specify your preference regarding critical health care, treatments, and medical procedures.
For instance, if a person wishes not to be placed on life support can specify it in their advance directive, in case the person is incapacitated or terminally ill their wishes would be instructions for their loved ones and the doctors.
5 Reasons To Create an Advance Directive
There are many reasons why you should be creating an advance directive or AHCD. And, here are a few of them:
- An Advance Healthcare Directive provides peace of mind to you and your family, no matter what happens in the future, your healthcare wishes will be known and followed by your family and doctors.
- It prevents situations where your loved ones are forced to guess what healthcare treatment you would want to receive
- It helps you prepare for major medical procedures, such as surgery, ventilator, feeding tube, etc. In case you are under anesthesia and are unable to communicate, the Advance Directive will guide your family with your medical preferences.
- If you have an ongoing or serious health issue, then creating an advance directive will be a great idea. It will help you be prepared for the future and reduce stress for your family members.
- Covid-19 has made our life quite unpredictable, you never know what might happen. Thus, Advance Directives can help us be prepared for the worst.
Speaking of Covid-19, let’s see how the global pandemic has made Advance Directives even more crucial.
How is Covid-19 changing attitude towards Advance Directives?
COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the health care systems worldwide. Many patients developed a severe or chronic illness. Some of them wished to be on life support systems and some didn’t. And, this is where an Advance Directive would be of help. It allows your family members to know exactly what you would want in these scenarios.
Thus, since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of young, healthy adults interested in advance directives has increased considerably.
Planning your healthcare in advance and discussing it with your family will reduce a huge burden off their shoulders. So, be prepared and support your family even at the worst phase of your life.
