This month, November, is Hospice and Palliative Care Month. In recognition, we strongly encourage all who haven’t initiated discussions about Advanced Care Planning to take advantage of November as a steppingstone. If you’ve already done your planning – congratulations on this important step – just be sure to review and update your directive to reflect any changes in your preferences or medical circumstances.

What is Advanced Care Planning?

Advanced care planning is a process that involves making decisions about your future healthcare preferences in advance, particularly if you become unable to make decisions for yourself due to illness or incapacity. The primary purpose of advanced care planning is to ensure that your medical care aligns with your values, beliefs, and personal preferences. It also helps reduce the emotional burden on your family and healthcare providers by providing clear guidance.

Key components of advanced care planning include:

• Advanced Directive (also called Healthcare Directive or Living Will): This document allows you to specify your preferences for medical treatments, such as life-sustaining measures, resuscitation, and organ donation. It outlines the circumstances under which you want specific treatments or interventions and when you do not.
• Appointment of a Healthcare Proxy or Agent: In some cases, you can designate a trusted individual to make medical decisions on your behalf if you’re unable to do so. This person is often referred to as a healthcare proxy or agent.
• Discussion and Communication: The process involves open and honest discussions with your loved ones, healthcare providers, and, if you’ve appointed one, your healthcare proxy. These conversations are crucial to ensure that your wishes are known and understood.

Resources for Advanced Care Planning

Creating an advanced directive is an important step in ensuring that your healthcare preferences are documented and followed when you cannot make decisions for yourself. There are various resources available to help you create an advanced directive:

• State-Specific Forms: Most U.S. states have specific forms or templates for advanced directives that are legally recognized. These forms are usually available through state government websites, local hospitals, or legal aid organizations. They are designed to meet the legal requirements of your particular jurisdiction. Connecticut’s starting point webpage for Advanced Directives can be found here.
• Online Resources: Numerous websites and organizations offer advanced directive forms and guides. Some popular resources include:
  • CaringInfo: This is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) that provides free state-specific advanced directive forms and information.
  • Five Wishes: This is a user-friendly advanced directive document that is accepted in most U.S. states. It goes beyond medical decisions to address emotional and spiritual issues. You can purchase a copy online.
  • AARP: The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) offers advanced directive forms and information that can be customized to your needs.
• Consult an Attorney: If you have complex medical preferences or want legal advice, consider consulting an attorney who specializes in healthcare or estate planning. They can provide guidance, answer your questions, and ensure that your advanced directive complies with your state’s laws.
• Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (including RVNAhealth!): Many hospitals and healthcare providers have resources available to help you create an advanced directive. They may offer informational brochures, access to standard forms, or guidance from social workers or ethics committees.

Remember that creating an advanced directive is an important legal and healthcare document, and it’s essential to follow your state’s specific guidelines to ensure its validity. Be sure to share a copy of your advanced directive with your healthcare provider, family members, and your chosen healthcare proxy or agent, if applicable.

Contact RVNAhealth for More Information

Begin the dialogue regarding Advanced Care Planning by reaching out to our team at RVNAhealth. We’re here to assist you in starting these conversations proactively, without the urgency of a crisis. We provide informative materials to assist you, and our team members are available for discussions. Planning ahead is a choice that no one has ever regretted. In fact, it’s a precious gift you can give both to yourself and your loved ones. To learn more, contact us at 203-438-5555, or visit our website.

This holiday season might mark the initial one following the loss of a loved one. The holidays can become hard for many as grief tends to cling to us. It doesn’t just affect us personally; it also becomes intertwined with specific moments and locations.

“Instead of the usual holiday traditions evoking feelings of ‘comfort and joy’ in us, they tend to resurface memories and emotions that can also bring forth feelings of sorrow and heartache,” says Garrett Walkup, RVNAhealth Manager of Bereavement, Social Work, and Pastoral Care Services.

Special Presentation: Grief, Healing and the Holidays

To provide additional support during this time of year, RVNAhealth will host “Grief, Healing and the Holidays” on Tuesday, Nov. 14th from 1:00-2:30pm, at its 27 Governor Street, Ridgefield office. The lecture will include “how to cope with the emotions and feelings of the season, how to handle holiday traditions, and what to do differently – and the same,” says Walkup.

Walkup will cover a number of helpful suggestions to help you with coping and healing.  Strategies such as mindset, being kind to yourself, asking for support, creating boundaries, and more will be covered.  Following Walkup’s discussion, there will be an optional opportunity to stay and enjoy fellowship over coffee and cookies.

This program is open to all members of the community and is intended to offer support through the holiday season for those who have experienced a loss. As we will be serving refreshments, please register HERE to help us with planning. Please contact Garrett Walkup, at 475-529-6118, or gwalkup@rvnahealth.org if you have any questions.

Ongoing Monthly Grief/Bereavement Support Groups Available

RVNAhealth also offers monthly support groups at both its Ridgefield and New Milford offices. These are open to anyone needing a space for comfort, and guidance on grief and healing. Please see current dates available below. Check out the RVNAhealth calendar / support groups tab for the latest information and offerings.

• Ridgefield monthly support group dates
• New Milford monthly support group dates

Jimmy Carter and his decision to enter hospice care has taken prominent placement in national news over the past six months. His decision to make public his election for hospice care has had a profound impact on how people perceive and discuss end-of-life care. Despite assumptions that hospice care is a short-term arrangement primarily for individuals at the brink of passing away, Carter’s case has demonstrated that hospice care can extend for a longer period and truly focuses on patient quality of life.

Current statistics show that only slightly more than half of those patients eligible for hospice care opt to receive it. At the age of 98, the former president’s choice to enter hospice care has led to a shift in public understanding. His family’s reports of him enjoying simple pleasures, such as ice cream and staying engaged with the activities of the Carter Center, highlight that hospice care can provide comfort and maintain a sense of normalcy for patients, rather than solely concentrating on medical interventions.

Carter’s openness about his journey has prompted conversations about hospice care’s benefits and debunked common misconceptions. Hospice care isn’t solely about imminent death; it centers on enhancing a patient’s well-being, managing pain, and emotional support for both patient and family. Carter’s situation underscores that hospice care can offer a higher quality of life for patients who opt to prioritize comfort and quality of life over aggressive medical treatments.

By openly sharing his care choice, Jimmy Carter has contributed to breaking down barriers surrounding discussions on death and end-of-life care. His example encourages a broader dialogue about the importance of making informed decisions regarding care options, advocating for individual preferences, and recognizing that hospice can offer solace, dignity, and a higher quality of life during one’s final stages.

For more information from RVNAhealth on myths and frequently asked questions about hospice care, visit our page.

Every year the Healthcare industry recognizes National Hospice and Palliative Care in the same month. The two practices are celebrated together, as they share a similar philosophy on person-centered care and an interdisciplinary team approach focused on quality of life. But they also share misunderstandings about what each practice offers.

Hospice care is elected when a patient and family wish to go from a curative plan of care to one of comfort and caring. Hospice addresses a patient’s pain and symptom management, and overall well-being from an interdisciplinary approach – including physical, mental, social, and spiritual. This care supports both the patient and their family, helping bring focus to quality of life and allowing a patient to realize their wishes for their final life chapter.

Palliative care helps individuals with a serious illness, at any age and any stage of their illness. Patients do not require a terminal diagnosis and often still receive curative treatment for their condition. Palliative care provides a specialized team, including clinical, social workers, and pastoral care, who work with patients to help them understand their treatment options and can act as a central coordinator of care – which can be extremely beneficial in the often overwhelming early days following the diagnosis of a serious illness. Care is intended to improve quality of life and give a patient more control by improving their ability to cope with their disease.

Common illnesses addressed by both palliative and hospice care include cardiac and respiratory illnesses, cancer, Alzheimer’s, AIDS, kidney disease, and more. Both practices address symptoms for comfort, including pain, shortness of breath, depression, nausea, and difficulty sleeping, to name a few.  The largest difference is in the individual decision to continue treatment for disease, which palliative care addresses, or cease treatment and focus on quality of life and final wishes with hospice. With both practices, early intervention is most beneficial to the patient.

RVNAhealth offers both hospice and palliative care in the home or at a patient’s facility. If you have questions or would like to discuss a potential palliative or hospice care need, please contact us at 203.438.5555.