In life, we plan for many important events like retirement, vacations, and our children’s education. Sadly, we are not so good at planning for the type of care we want to receive at the end of life. Planning for future medical care should you become ill is called advanced care planning. Advance Directives document the decisions that came out of this care planning. Only one in three Americans have completed Advance Directives.
An advance directive lets you have control over your health care decisions. It guides the health care team if you are unable to communicate and provides comfort to your family in that they do not have to guess what you would want. The best time to create an advance directive is before you are sick – when you can better understand your options and communicate them with your family and doctor.
Advance planning documents include a Living Will and a Medical Power of Attorney. These are legal documents that outline the type of care that is desired and who can make decisions for you when a doctor determines you are no longer able to do so.
Having these conversations is difficult but there are excellent free resources on line to help you get started.
https://prepareforyourcare.org
https://theconversationproject.org/
Being prepared for the what-ifs in life is a wonderful gift to your family, who will understand your wishes, and to yourself, for your own peace of mind.
Contributed by: Karen Pearson, NP
My name is Jimmie Stapleton. I am the founder and CEO of Arcy Healthcare. Arcy Healthcare includes Arcy Hospice, Arcy Supportive Care, MaximaCare Home Health and Arcy at Home.
Arcy Hospice was opened in 2007 to provide care and support for individuals and families facing a life limiting illness. It was established after my wife Ellen, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, had completed her chemo and radiation therapies. At that time, things were looking positive, and we wanted to do something for our community that had been so supportive of our family during her treatments. Unfortunately, the cancer returned a few years later, and she subsequently passed away under our care in 2010.
In the years that followed, I began to see the need to provide the same level of excellent care to patients across the continuum of care. Therefore, we have added a home health division (MaximaCare Home Health), a palliative care division (Arcy Supportive Care), and a home care division, (Arcy at Home). With the addition of these divisions, we can meet most of the post-acute care needs for you and your family in your home.
I started Arcy Hospice with my wife as my motivation to provide exceptional care and support in the patient’s home, where they are surrounded by family and where they feel most comfortable. I’m proud to say that our staff provides some of the best in home care in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.
Please let us know if we can enrich the quality of life for you or a loved one.
Sincerely,
Jimmie Stapleton – Founder and CEO
Arcy Healthcare
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