Saturday, January 11th, 2025 Church Directory
VICKI MORGAN from Light the Legacy.

Health Choices Not Often A High Priority

The end of life is not a topic our society likes to either think about or talk about, but it’s important everyone do so and have their health care wishes in place. Vicki Morgan from Light the Legacy spoke on this issue last week to a group at the Clearwater Library. 
 
Light the Legacy is a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to improving end-of-life care and honoring life’s choices. They use community outreach and education to promote informed choice and advance care planning, and also help people put their end-of-life choices in place.
 
April 16 is National Healthcare Decision Day, and Morgan recommends people use this day to start a conversation with their family to help prepare them in the event that something happens. She told the group 82% of people say it’s important to put their wishes in writing, but only 23% have done so.
 
This issue is important to everyone, whether they’re 18 or 80.
 
“You suddenly realize after a scare that you don’t have any decisions in place,” Morgan said. “Everyone, no matter their age, should have an advanced health care directive filled out and communicate their decisions with their loved ones.”
 
She stresses this document isn’t a living will, and it doesn’t take the place of being able to speak to doctors and loved ones directly. Health care directives are for when a person isn’t able to speak for themselves about their healthcare wishes.
 
She told the group the key to health care planning is open communication, and the important thing is to have a conversation with your family, even though it may be uncomfortable. 
 
Along with health care wishes, another part of the conversation needs to be whom a person wants to be their health care agent, the one who will speak on their behalf if they’re unable to do so. An alternate should also be chosen in the event the original can’t be reached in an emergency.
 
Everyone in the family needs to be told who the health care agents are, so there is no confusion, misunderstandings, or hurt feelings in the future.
 
Once a health care directive is in place, it needs to be kept current, and reviewed and discussed at least every two years. Although is may seem strange, Morgan suggested Thanksgiving as a time to do so. When the whole family is together, get in the habit of giving thanks, and then talking about end-of-life wishes.
 
Morgan stated it might feel overwhelming when a person is first planning their health care directive, and suggested started with personal values. Another organization she is involved in, Compassion & Choices, offers a values worksheet to help get started. 
 
Once a health care directive has been completed and either witnessed or notarized, each member of the family should have a copy, along with the person’s physician. A copy of the directive also needs to be kept in an easily assessable place in the person’s home in case of emergencies, not hidden or locked in a safe. Morgan recommends putting it in a tube in the refrigerator or freezer where everyone can find it.
 
By being prepared in advance, a person ensures their medical care will be consistent with their wishes, even is they are unable to communicate. It also saves their loved ones from having to make painful and difficult decisions on their own.
 
“There is no right way to do this,” said Morgan. “There’s no perfect answer. Each decision is personal.”
 
Each state has its own health care directive forms. To download and print either the long or short form for Minnesota, visit http://www.honoringchoices.org. 
 
To download and print a copy of the Values Worksheet, visit https://www.compassionandchoices.org. 
 
To learn more about Light the Legacy, visit http://lightthelegacy.org.