Advanced Planning Made Easy
On Wednesday January 31st we returned to the Tipp Center for our Muster & Mingle event. We hadn’t met in Tipp City since November of 2023 and it felt great to be back in Tipp! We had a taste of summer with dinner, with brats, hot dogs, macaroni salad, and cupcakes.
After everyone had eaten, we had a few announcements from our Director Valerie, and then our speaker took the stage. Therese Reed RN is an Advance Care Planning Manager from Kettering Health. We had her come in to honor the memory of Tamara Westfall, a board member of ours who really wanted us to host an Advanced Care event. She was passionate about being prepared, and she passed away before we could host this event. We know that it’s easy to think that you’ll get to Advanced Care Planning later, but you never know what tomorrow will bring.
Therese shared with us that while we all have ways that we would like to die, only about 32% of people get to die at home. If you end up at the ER, they will do everything possible to keep you alive, unless you have an Advance Directive in place. So if you have specific wishes regarding CPR, intubation, ventilation, and artificial nutrition, you need to get them in writing. When choosing your Health Care Manager, you need to keep a few things in mind:
1. Are they willing to take on the role?
2. Can they make the decisions you want made, even if they don’t personally agree with them?
3. Are they familiar enough with you that they can answer questions about your medical history?
4. Are they able to make decisions under stress?
Whoever you choose as your Health Care manager, they will be responsible for making sure that the wishes you are outlined in your Advanced Care Directive, so you don’t need to worry about their decision making being impaired. They will also make decisions in regards to stopping treatment based on wishes or your best interest. They may also need to choose between treatment options or medical providers. Make sure that you speak to them in advance of listing them, as well as choosing alternates.
In addition to Therese, we had a fun surprise from Richard Nerbert, who brought a treasure trove of photos from his time in Vietnam. He was a photographer during the war, and he wanted to share his memories with those in attendance. He also brought a piece wooden Marine decor that he makes himself. We always encourage our veterans in sharing their stories, and we are so pleased that Richard brought these great pictures to share with us.
Our next Tipp City event is going to be February 28th, and we hope that you’ll join us! For more information about our upcoming events, click here!