Fox Cities News

It is crucial for individuals to decide in advance who they would want to make healthcare decisions for them in case of a crisis. ThedaCare is emphasizing this message in honor of April's National Healthcare Decisions Day.

Leslie Koffke, an Advance Care Planning Social Worker with ThedaCare, stated that completing advance care planning is the best way to ensure people avoid unwanted care if they are seriously ill or incapacitated. "Completing advance care planning is crucial for all adults," Koffke said. "This process can lead to peace of mind for all involved. A serious accident or health crisis doesn’t plan ahead. But you can."

Advance care planning documents, formal legal documents authorized by state laws, are completed by individuals to specify their healthcare preferences. These documents are consulted when a person is unable to make decisions. They can be revoked or altered at any time.

According to a 2017 report by the health policy journal Health Affairs, only about 36% of adults had completed advance care planning. The report pointed out that the treatments people would prefer often do not match those they receive at the end of life.

Koffke noted that National Healthcare Decisions Day is an appropriate time to start the Advance Care Planning (ACP) process. People should first consider their healthcare wishes and then discuss them with loved ones. "It is very important to speak with your loved ones about your healthcare goals and wishes," Koffke emphasized. "We want to support normalizing Advance Care Planning, which is the process of talking about and documenting your future healthcare wishes, and how loved ones can help honor those wishes."

Data shows that about half of ThedaCare patients aged 65 or older have completed an ACP, while the percentage is significantly lower among younger patients. Koffke encourages everyone aged 18 and above, including young adults entering college or the workforce, to complete an ACP. "It’s important to understand that parents and siblings cannot automatically make healthcare decisions for you," Koffke mentioned. "Without the proper documentation in place, parents or other family members would need to take extra steps in the event of an accident or an emergency."

In Wisconsin, a state that does not recognize next-of-kin for decision-making, an advance directive is particularly important. "That means your family cannot make decisions on your behalf if you lose capacity to speak for yourself, unless it is in writing," Koffke stated.

An ACP includes a Power of Attorney for Health Care form (POA-HC), which allows individuals to appoint a healthcare agent to make decisions on their behalf if they become incapacitated. They can also specify the type of care they want or do not want.

ThedaCare provides free ACP appointments with trained facilitators who help fill out the documents and provide witnesses. Koffke suggested that those interested in ACP can schedule appointments online at any of nine locations in northeast and central Wisconsin, attend a free class every third Thursday of the month at Encircle Health, or complete an ACP without assistance, as an attorney is not required.

Finally, Koffke urged keeping the ACP conversation ongoing.