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Wear a White Ribbon in March to Raise Awareness of
Advance Care Planning
 'It’s
About How You LIVE,' says National Hospice & Palliative Care
Organization
March 8, 2006 - To promote awareness of advance
care planning, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization is
encouraging all Americans to wear a white ribbon in March to increase
awareness. Wearing the ribbon is particularly important on March 31, the
one-year anniversary of Terri Schiavo’s death, when many people will
take time to reflect on end-of-life discussions.
(Read "What is
Advanced Care Planning" below news story)
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“It doesn’t matter whether you want every medical
intervention available up until the day you die, or whether you want to
spend the final period of your life receiving what many call ‘comfort
care,’” commented J. Donald Schumacher, NHPCO president and CEO. “It
should be your decision—one that you share with those you love.”
Healthcare decisions involving care at the end of a
person’s life are complicated and, for most people, difficult to think
about. An individual’s wishes and preferences for the kind of medical
care they would and would not want are very personal and important
decisions. Advance care planning lets you decide the kind of healthcare
you want at the end of your life—and helps you make your wishes known.
Advance care planning means learning about
treatment options and completing an advance directive to express your
wishes. Yet, that’s not all. Another critical piece of advance care
planning includes talking about your decisions with your loved ones,
healthcare providers, clergy, and others important to you.
People are occasionally confused by the terms
associated with advance care planning. An advance directive (sometimes
called a living will) lets you explain the care you would want. An
advance directive also includes a healthcare power-of-attorney which
enables you to appoint someone to make medical decisions on your behalf
should you not be able to speak for yourself.
Hospice and palliative care providers place the
wishes of the patient and family at the center of any care plan and
respect the beliefs, traditions and choices of our increasingly diverse
nation. With that in mind, experienced hospice professionals encourage
all people to learn more about healthcare options, to ensure that they
receive the care that’s important to them.
The advance care planning ribbon was created by
NHPCO to help people focus on the message: “It’s About How You LIVE.”
The LIVE message is at the heart of NHPCO’s Caring Connections public
engagement campaign encouraging people to “Learn, Implement, Voice, and
Engage” in improving care at the end of life. The white awareness ribbon
reflects the message of peace long associated with the dove.
More information about advance care planning is
available at
www.caringinfo.org or by calling the Caring Connections HelpLine at
800-658-8898.
LIVE ribbon lapel pins are available from NHPCO’s
Marketplace,
www.nhpco.org/marketplace or 800-646-6460.
What is Advance Care Planning?
Advance
care planning is making decisions about the care you would want to
receive if you happen to become unable to speak for yourself. These are
your decisions to make, regardless of what you choose for your care, and
the decisions are based on your personal values, preferences, and
discussion with your loved ones. A part of advance care planning is
also communicating your wishes with your loved ones and healthcare
providers to provide guidance and comfort to them if something should
happen to you.
Advance
care planning includes:
●
Getting information on the types of life-sustaining treatments that are
available.
● Deciding what types of treatment you would or would not want should
you be diagnosed with a life-limiting illness.
● Getting information on how your disease will progress if you have a
life-limiting illness.
● Discussing with your doctor what your treatments are expected to
accomplish and what the risks of these treatments are.
● Sharing your personal values with your loved ones. nal values. Your
spiritual values and beliefs make up who you are and may determine which
procedures you want – or do not want.
● Using advance directives to put into writing what types of
treatments you would want if you are no longer able to speak for
yourself. You can download free, state-specific Advance Directives here.
More
information about advance care planning is available at
www.caringinfo.org or by calling the Caring Connections
HelpLine at 800-658-8898.
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