April is National Healthcare Decisions Month

Submitted by Hospice of Marion County

Making your preferred end-of-life healthcare decisions a priority is wise any time of the year. But, special focus is given in the month of April during National Healthcare Decisions Month to help increase awareness of this important healthcare decision. It’s never too early to have those conversations with your loved ones – better to have the discussion sooner than later when it may be too late.

However, many find procrastination is all too easy, especially when it comes to talking about the end of life. It’s one of those topics most people would rather not discuss. Just as preparing a will is optimal when we are of sound mind and body, so is preparing for future healthcare needs rather than waiting until there’s a crisis.

A pair of sensitive movies on grief and loss is the focus for this year’s partnership between the Marion Theatre, Reilly Arts Center and Hospice of Marion County in recognition of National Healthcare Decisions Day. Two films are offered to the public at no charge — Mark your calendar for showings of the following:

• Tuesday, April 12, 5:30 p.m. Ordinary People starring Mary Tyler Moore
• Saturday, April 16, 11:30 a.m., We Bought a Zoo starring Matt Damon

These outstanding films come with no ticket price; to redeem your tickets, simply go to the website www.mariontheatre.org, and at check-out enter this code HOMC22, which should be used for both movies.

Making decisions for others is decidedly even more complicated than those for ourselves, especially when that person – someone beloved – can no longer speak for him or herself. In the end, having the talk is the best gift you can give to yourself and your family.

Advance directives are legal documents that include a living will or a durable power of attorney for healthcare, also known as a healthcare proxy. Either document allows you to give directions about your future medical care. It’s your right to accept or refuse medical care. Advance directives can protect this right if you ever become mentally or physically unable to choose or communicate your wishes due to an injury or illness. By law, the decision belongs to the patient, so make your wishes known to your family, providers and caregivers.

An advance directive can be as simple as a two-page Living Will or as lengthy as the Five Wishes, a detailed-yet-user-friendly booklet. In Florida, an advance directive requires neither an attorney nor a notary—just the writer’s signature and that of two witnesses. Despite the simplicity of these documents, only about a third of all Americans have completed one.

Visit www.hospiceofmarion.com to download a Living Will at no charge or call our Monarch Center for Hope & Healing at (352) 873-7456 for assistance if you have any questions completing your form.