National Healthcare Decisions Day is April 16

To the Editor,

I am writing to bring National Healthcare Decisions Day — April 16 — to the attention of our community. This special day is a part of a movement “to inspire, educate, and empower the public and healthcare providers about the importance of advance care planning.” 

Individuals can use advance care planning to make known their wishes about their future healthcare — to their loved ones, their healthcare team, and their attorney — in case they become unable to communicate those wishes themselves. They can also choose someone to make healthcare decisions on their behalf should they become unable to do so.

Having conversations about the end of life that focus on our values and wishes can alleviate anxiety and ultimately bring great comfort, not only to us, but to our loved ones.

One resource for exploring the topic of advance care planning is the Conversation Project. This website offers a variety of tools that help individuals explore what matters to them most as they contemplate the end of life, and includes tips for starting these conversations with family, friends, and loved ones. Sometimes taking the first step into these conversations is the hardest part.

Kim Schmucki
Swarthmore
Hospice volunteer