National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) on April 16 aims to ensure that families and healthcare providers can navigate difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient through advance directives.
“Advance directives give you the ability to document the types of healthcare you do and do not want, and to name a loved one to speak for you if you cannot speak for yourself,” said Nathan Kottkamp, Chair of the National Healthcare Decisions Day.
The annual campaign is a U.S.-based collaborative effort that encourages people to think about:
- which medical treatments they would want
- what is meaningful to them, ie being at home, with family, etc.
- who they would want to make decisions for them about their care if they cannot communicate.
The initiative also provides information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, including templates for execute written advance directives (healthcare power of attorney and living will). These resources are available at www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org.
Watch the NHDD theme video here: http://bit.ly/2Pg2eun
Leave a Reply