Am I the only one to have ever taken a loved one to a hospital and been asked a series of questions about medical documents like advanced directives and living wills and stared blankly back as I responded “no, he doesn’t have that”?
Each time that has happened to me I swear we’re going to fill out the forms and be prepared for the next emergency. But like New Year’s Resolutions fading by mid-January, those thoughts typically disappear within hours as I deal with whatever health issue brought us to the hospital in the first place.
A story on American Medical News today shows that I'm not alone. The story cites that "More than a quarter of dying patients lack the capacity to make end-of-life care decisions, says a study in the April 1 New England Journal of Medicine (content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/362/13/1211/)." And 1/3 of patients do not plan in advance. For more on the story, click here.
Not this time though.
That’s because I recently discovered that Texas Health Resources posts those documents in a handy link on our Web site, www.TexasHealth.org. The documents, and a full description of the ins and outs of what they mean and how to properly sign them, are available at http://www.texashealth.org/body.cfm?id=139#medical.
I’ve already e-mailed the link to my husband with a note that this is on our weekend to-do list. Sure it’s not a happy weekend task like planting spring flowers or going to a movie, but were either of us incapacitated I think we’d be thankful it’s there.
Now if only we can remember to get it done.
Jennifer Erickson
Sr. Public Relations Specialist
Texas Health HEB
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