Hospice of Santa Barbara (HSB) and Mi Vida, Mi Voz (MVMV) have opened a new advance care-planning initiative for both English and Spanish speakers in Santa Barbara County. Advance Care Planning is a way for people of all ages to prepare for their end-of-life medical wishes.
An Advance Directive assists individuals in making decisions about the types of healthcare they wish to receive in the case they become very sick or injured and are not able to speak for themselves. It also allows them to select a person to make healthcare decisions in case they are unable to make them themselves.
Everyone, ages 18 years or older should have a completed document regardless of health condition.
Get it Done SB!, the initiative targeting English speakers, and Mi Regalo, the initiative targeting Spanish speakers, seek to educate community members on the importance of having this conversation and of completing and submitting documents to local medical facilities including Cottage Hospital.
Targeted workshops are being set up with local businesses and organizations to present the information and fill out the forms as a group. Community workshops will be scheduled in the coming months.
Both initiatives were created to strengthen families by equipping them with the tools to engage in these difficult conversations and to help individuals and their families complete and submit their MyCare document to their healthcare providers before a crisis occurs.
Both initiatives emerged from years of collaborative work around end-of-life planning and in partnership with Cottage Health. The English initiative is led by Jeanne West, Community Engagement manager of HSB and a past registered nurse, with nearly 50 years of experience in health care settings and community outreach.
She has collaborated with and holds relationships with dozens of local health organizations, skilled nursing and senior residential facilities, and other community organizations.
“Having these forms completed is a huge gift we can give our families. We have seen what can happen to families when these decisions are not made in advance of a loved one’s death,” said West. “Differing opinions on what is best can lead to angry confrontations and even tear families apart. We want to do everything possible to avoid that.”
Adriana Marroquin, Community Initiatives manager at Hospice of Santa Barbara, said, “Many in our Spanish-speaking communities have never even heard of Advance Care Planning, let alone know it’s an option. Education about the topic is very important to empower individuals to make educated decisions on their medical care early on and avoid family conflict.”
For more about Get It Done SB!, visit: https://www.getitdonesb.org/. For more about Mi Regalo, visit https://www.miregalo.org/.