If you experienced a life-threatening emergency tomorrow and were unable to speak for yourself, would your loved ones and medical providers know your healthcare wishes? Did you know that there is a free and easy way to address this need?
For almost 54% of Americans over 50, the answer is no. Across the country, including in our Santa Barbara community, less than half of seniors have written down their healthcare wishes and only a little over half have had a serious conversation with family about types of care they would or would not want.
As you receive a new diagnosis, experience passing illness, or get your affairs in order for an uncertain future, it is important to consider completing an Advance Directive as a part of Advance Care Planning (ACP).
An Advance Directive is a document for adults that indicates the types of medical care that you would like to receive if you cannot speak for yourself. It is a legally binding document that remains in effect until your wishes change and you complete a new document.
There are a variety of different types of Advance Directives, including Five Wishes, POLST, attorney-related documents like a living will or Power of Attorney for Healthcare, and more. In Santa Barbara, the most common ACP document is the MyCare Advance Directive, created by Cottage Health.
There are many people who find healthcare planning documents intimidating or scary, so what are the life-long benefits of completing an Advance Directive?
Completing your Advance Directive removes the burden on family members to make decisions for you:
A loved one experiencing a life-threatening emergency is an upsetting and chaotic event for family members. It can be even more distressing to make decisions for that person when you don’t know what they would’ve wanted. Having an Advance Directive means removing the burden of decision making from your loved ones, preventing guilt, pain, and potential conflict between family members.
Your Advance Directive prevents you from receiving certain treatments you do not want:
Depending on your age and health, treatments like CPR, a ventilator, or a feeding tube can be intrusive and impactful on your body. For example, those who receive CPR may have to recover with broken ribs, punctured lungs, and even brain damage. With an Advance Directive, you can assess whether these side effects align with your ideal quality of life, which allows you to make the right decision for you.
Completing an Advance Directive normalizes conversations about death and end of life planning:
Making decisions about your healthcare at the end of life opens up a dialogue with your loved ones about quality of life and what death means to them. While these conversations can be uncomfortable, talking to family members about completing an Advance Directive normalizes death as a part of life and something worth preparing for with love and compassion for yourself and loved ones in mind. These conversations can even empower your loved ones to complete an Advance Directive as well!
Interested in completing your Advance Directive this year?
Get it Done SB! is an initiative of Hospice of Santa Barbara which emerged from years of collaborative work around Advance Care Planning. We provide free workshops and one-on-one services throughout South Santa Barbara County, in English and Spanish, to help people complete and finalize their MyCare or other Advance Directive Forms. Our goal is to help our community participate in conversations regarding their future medical care with their friends and loved ones.
Join the hundreds of Santa Barbara residents who have completed their Advance Directive with us and find your wishes, values, and peace of mind, all in one document.
For more information visit www.GetItDoneSB.org (English) or www.MiRegalo.org (Spanish), email CommunityACP@hospiceofsb.org, or call 805-705-0546.
