1. National Healthcare Decisions Day - Community Outreach Presentation
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2. Advance Care Planning:
Your Decisions Matter
Presented By:
[Name]
[Title]
[Organization]
[Date]
Welcome
Introduction:
Speaker begins with own brief story about organization or coalition to gain credibility and to connect with the audience. Use the following as a guide for your introduction:
Who you are and why we are here? (personal and/or organizational story)
For example, “I work for X organization or coalition and our mission is to…
“I/we got involved in this because…” (personal or organizational experience with advance directives)
What you learned/gained from your experience
For example, “… too many people are faced with making difficult healthcare decisions for themselves or loved ones and have never thought or talked about what kind of care they want and don’t want. Most people do not think of these issues until it is too late which can result in unwanted treatments, prolonged suffering and family conflicts.”
What you found that helped people the most is…
For example, “... If you take the time now to become aware of these issues and take action, you can make a difference for your future and the future of others.”

3. Do you know what healthcare treatments you would and would not want if you could not speak for yourself? Do other people know what your wishes are?
Ask questions to help engage audience to think about your topic.

4. Today Discover the value of advance care planning
Learn how to talk about your future healthcare decisions
Understand how to document your healthcare decisions using advance directives
Encourage others to honor National Healthcare Decisions Day
Review objectives for the presentation

5. Advance Care Planning Involves: Learning about treatment options
Thinking about your values
Talking about your decisions
Documenting your wishes
Advance care planning is more than just completing an advance directive.
It involves:
Learning about treatment options for end-of-life care
Thinking about your values and what is important to you
Talking about your decisions with your loved ones and doctors
Documenting your wishes in an advance directive

6. Why Plan Ahead? Unable to speak for yourself
Sudden illness or accidents
Leave a guide for others
Peace of mind for loved ones
Why is this important?
Your future healthcare wishes need to be known if you can not speak for yourself
Sudden illness or accidents can happen to anyone at any age
A guide may be needed for your doctor and loved ones to make healthcare decisions
Most important, knowing your wishes can give your loved ones peace of mind

7. Getting Started Learn about life-sustaining treatments
Reflect upon your values
Decide what you want and do not want
Talk to others
To get started, you need to time to:
Learn about the types of life-sustaining treatments that are available
Reflect upon your values and what is important to you at the end-of-life
Decide what types of healthcare treatment you would want or would not want
Talk to others to help you with decisions if need – physician, faith leader, loved ones
[Can go into more detail with each bullet if time allows]

8. Questions to Discuss What do you want and not want at the end of life?
Who should speak for you?
What are your concerns?
What gives your life the most meaning?
What one thing do you want to be sure your doctors, family and friends know about your wishes?
These are questions you need to think about and talk about.
These are not easy questions to answer and discuss.
Requires time for honest discussion, reflection and planning
What kind of healthcare do you want and do not want at the end of life?
Who would you like to make your decisions for you if you can not speak for yourself?
What are your concerns?
What aspects of your life give it the most meaning?
What one thing do you want to be sure your doctors, family, friends know about your wishes?

9. Talking About Your Decisions
Valuable opportunity to reflect on what’s important with loved ones
Discussion needs to happen before a crisis
Can provide comfort to your loved ones
Is up to YOU to initiate
Talking about your end of life care decisions is one of the most important things you can do.
Provides a valuable opportunity to discover important information about yourself and your loved ones
Allows for honest discussion, reflection and planning before a crisis
Can provide comfort to your loved ones if they are faced with difficult decisions
Is up to YOU to initiate

10. Documenting Your Decisions
Advance directives document healthcare decisions at the end of life
Tool to help you think through and communicate your choices
Two legal forms are available:
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Living Will
Use advance directives to document your healthcare decisions at the end of life
Serves as a tool to help you think through and communicate your choices
Two legal forms are available:
Healthcare Power of Attorney
Living Will

11. Healthcare Power of Attorney
Document who makes medical decisions about your healthcare
Authorized to speak ONLY if you can’t
May also be called a:
"healthcare proxy or agent"
“healthcare surrogate”
"durable power of attorney for healthcare"
A legal document that states who you want to make medical decisions about your healthcare
The person is authorized to speak for you ONLY if you are unable to make your own medical decisions
May also be called a:
"healthcare proxy or agent"
“healthcare surrogate”
"durable power of attorney for healthcare"

12. Your Healthcare Agent Can be anyone over the age of 18*
Can be a family member, loved one or close friend
Is someone who:
You trust
Knows you well
Will advocate in your behalf
Will honor your wishes
*Or 19 in Nebraska.

13. Living Will
States what you want and do not want for medical treatments at the end of life
May also be called:
Directive to physicians
Healthcare declaration
Medical directive
A legal document that states what you want and do not want for medical treatments at the end of life
May also be called:
Directive to physicians
Healthcare declaration
Medical directive

14. Important to Know Your advance directive should reflect your wishes
Lawyers are not needed
Not all documents are legally valid in every state
A witness and a notary may be required
Does not expire and can be updated as needed
There are no right or wrong answers and advance directives should reflect your personal wishes
Lawyers are not needed to complete advance directives
Make sure the documents are legally valid in the state you live
A witness and a notary may be required
Does not expire and can update if need

15. April 16 - National Healthcare Decisions Day
Collaborative effort of national, state and community organizations
Opportunity to communicate and document future healthcare decisions
Participating national organizations include: ABA, AMA, ANA, APC, NASW, NHPCO and others
The National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD) initiative is a collaborative effort of national, state and community organizations committed to ensuring that all adults with decision-making capacity in the United States have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their healthcare decisions.
Despite recent gains in public awareness of the need for advance care planning, studies indicate that most Americans have not exercised their right to make decisions about their healthcare in the event that they cannot speak for themselves.
NHDD provides an opportunity to join others across the country in making future healthcare decisions known to family, friends and healthcare providers.
Participating national organizations include the American Bar Association, American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, Association for Pastoral Care, National Association of Social Workers, National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and many other national organizations

16. What You Can Do Talk to your loved ones
“Since today is national healthcare decisions day, I want to take this opportunity to talk with you about my decisions for healthcare if I am ever in a situation that I can not speak for myself like Terri Schiavo [or list someone else].”

17. What You Can Do Complete your advance directive
Encourage others to do the same
Join local efforts to promote National Healthcare Decisions Day

18. Resources That Can Help
Advance care planning information
Advance directive documents
[List other state and local resources]
Insert name of your organization and any other relevant resources
Invite people to call you.
List resources available in your community.

19. The future depends on what we do in the present. –Mahatma Gandhi