Healthcare Decisions Month

Although any time is the right time, April is Massachusetts Healthcare Decisions Month.

We at End With Care are proud to be associated with the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care and Honoring Choices Massachusetts, who are working to ensure that everyone in the Commonwealth receives health care that honors their goals, values, and preferences. The aim is to educate our community, to inspire you to share your health care wishes with family and loved ones, and to direct your own health care choices. This program is vital, since only a little more than half of Massachusetts residents have had a conversation about their wishes for serious illness care.

These efforts strive to raise awareness on the importance of advance care planning and encourage people throughout the state to start their own conversations with their families and their care team and to name health care proxies.

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There are a number of excellent resources available to help you.

Honoring Choices Massachusetts is a valuable resource dedicated to helping people make their own Health Care Plan. They provide free downloadable health care planning information and tool kits to help you consider information to make choices for care, to write down your choices in the 5 Massachusetts planning documents, and to work in partnership with your care providers to receive the best possible care at every stage of health.

You can download this valuable information from their Getting Started Tool Kit as well as download a Health Care Proxy.

 

The Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care is supporting this important campaign through their Write Your Script tool. They have developed a comprehensive social/shareable campaign focuses on the theme to “Write Your Script, and set the stage for health care that honors your wishes.” Visit the #WriteYourScript to start the conversation.

The Conversation Project also offers excellent information and resources for people to talk about their wishes for end-of-life care. Their tools help guide open and honest discussions toward a shared understanding of what matters most at the end of life. Select The Conversation Project Starter Tool Kits to view and download their materials.

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If you have not already done so, we hope that you will take advantage of these valuable and important resources.