Oshie latest success story from tiny Minn. town

Students participate in literary arts contest

First Posted: 4/10/2014 It&#8217;s spring-cleaning season! Cleaning out the garage or organizing that closet that barely closes can be a tough but ultimately rewarding job. But tomorrow, step away from the closet and out of that messy garage and take advantage of National Healthcare Decisions Day. It&#8217;s an annual reminder of the importance that living wills and health-care power-of-attorney documents have if someday you can&#8217;t personally express your wishes about your medical care.It may not be a pleasant conversation to have, but it is critical. We all need to face the fact that one day, despite all our care and precautions, the unpredictable might happen. Far too often my colleagues and I see a patient in an emergency situation, unable to tell us or the family about his or her wishes. At best, this causes added stress and confusion for families and, at worst, leads to conflict and upset among those who should be united at this challenging time.
Now we&#8217;re not just talking about decisions concerning life support. It could be decisions as straightforward as whether or not to perform an operation or what medication might work best. Think about it. Heaven forbid you were in an accident tomorrow, and you needed treatment in a matter of minutes. Is your spouse making the decision? Your parents? Maybe your children? And what if they&#8217;re not all on the same page? In these critical moments, when every second counts, making sure your wishes and your own medical priorities are clear could help save your life.
&#8220;Advance directives&#8221; are the legal documents that clarify your wishes. On Healthcare Decisions Day, I encourage folks to take a look at two main types of advance directives: a living will and durable power of attorney.
We&#8217;re familiar with a will when it comes to our property, but few people realize the importance of a living will. A living will outlines for your doctor and your loved ones, in writing, what treatment you want or don&#8217;t want under certain circumstances, and it only goes into effect if you are unable to speak for yourself.
Then there is durable power of attorney, also known as a health-care proxy. This document lets you choose someone to make health-care decisions when you can&#8217;t. But choose carefully. This proxy should be someone who knows your medical history and has a strong sense of your overall values &#8211; someone you can trust. You also can select a backup proxy. Speaking as a husband first and a doctor second, I suggest speaking with your spouse before making this decision!
Many lawyers can help you through the process of creating and safeguarding these important documents that express your wishes and protect your rights. As an alternative, most hospitals have generic forms available that you can review and, if suitable, use for your family.
When it&#8217;s all said and done, thinking about this may seem grim, and it&#8217;s my hope that you never need to set these plans in motion. But a large part of a physician&#8217;s decision-making process when trying to deliver the most appropriate care is making sure the care administered aligns with the patient&#8217;s values, wishes and expectations. So take tomorrow and have a talk with your spouse and your children about what you expect, then make an appointment with your lawyer, or call your hospital. If the day comes when your family faces a difficult decision, what you do tomorrow could make it that much easier.

Direct your future starting tomorrow: It’s decisions day