It may just be a day on the calendar but this Saturday, April 16, has some great significance – National Healthcare Decision Day. It is a day with a relatively simple mission – to encourage people to consider, discuss and document their healthcare wishes.
Why is that important? Think about the decisions your doctors and family members would have to make if you don’t let them know in advance how you want to be treated should you reach the point that you cannot explain your own wishes.
So National Healthcare Decision Day was created by a nonprofit organization determined to make people aware and, more importantly, to take action when it comes to advance-care planning by preparing advance directives.
There are two common forms of advance directives – living wills and a health care surrogate designation. The living will describes the kind of care you want. The surrogate form allows you to pick a representative to make decisions for you.
To learn more about this extremely important day, go online to www.nhdd.org or for specific information about Florida law and advance directives, got to www.afela.org. If you are still confused, seek the help of a qualified elder law attorney.