Community Outreach

I'm very excited to start spreading the news about a presentation I am helping put together.  A friend of mine, who is a nurse, and I are going to start presenting a program on end of life decisions.  She will discuss with the group the decisions that will need to be made and how those decisions affect everyone involved.  She is experienced in this area of health care and feels strongly that it is important for people to plan for these unexpected events.

I will be there to offer information on Power of Attorney for Healthcare and Property and Living Wills/Final Directives.  I will also be able to provide these basic forms free of charge and assist in completing them.

Right now, we are putting the program together and looking for groups to present the program to.  This is generally a subject that no one really wants to talk or think about.  Many people likely consider this an issue to be dealt with by older people.  However, it's important for everyone to think about these issues and plan for them.

For one moment, stop and think what would happen if you were in a catastrophic accident on your way to work this morning.  I know, I know....not what you want to be thinking about at all.  But, consider what would happen if you were alive but in a vegetative state.  Do your loved ones know your wishes?  What if you had a massive heart attack and ended up on life support in the hospital?  Does your spouse know how to access all of the financial information?  Does your spouse know what bills need to be paid and when?

These are the things you need to consider.  It would be stressful enough if a loved one was in the hospital fighting for his or her life and then you realize that power bill wasn't paid, but you don't know where it is or how to even access the money to pay it.  You want to make sure that your loved ones are able to survive until you get better or until they are able to recover from losing you.  Plus, you want to make sure that your wishes are known to everyone and that those wishes are carried out.

I will definitely keep you posted about this project.  If anyone has suggestions of groups we should meet with, please leave a comment.

Have a great day!