Talking about your wishes during a serious, life-altering illness can be difficult, emotional and, for some of us, is a conversation we would rather avoid. But it’s a conversation you must have as an important and necessary part of good medical care. You have the right to participate fully in all your healthcare decisions – and that’s even more important near the end of life.
In my nursing career, I’ve seen this difficult conversation play out with many patients and families. The peace it brings is powerful: It gives patients a voice and it gives loved ones comfort.
Each spring in April – April 16 to be exact – we observe National Healthcare Decisions Day. It’s a day committed to raising awareness and empowering people to have these all-important conversations. There are many ways to make your preferences known, from advance directives to living wills to New Jersey’s POLST form.
POLST, or Practitioner Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, is a medical order form that empowers individuals with a life-limiting illness by carefully detailing their personal wishes regarding end-of-life care. Go to www.njha.com/POLST to see the form in several languages.
POLST can help you make meaningful personal choices regarding your care – and ensure that every member of the healthcare team understands and respects those choices. Individuals fill out the POLST form together with their physician or advance practice nurse. It’s signed by all of you and then becomes a part of your medical record.
A POLST form could be right for you and your loved ones if you are seriously ill with an advanced illness or are worried about losing the capacity to make your own healthcare decisions in the near future.
There are two very important parts of the POLST form for you to describe your goals and wishes at the end of life: your “goals of care” and the medical treatments – called interventions -- that you do and do not want.
I urge everyone to take a moment to consider their “goals of care.” What precisely does that mean? It simply describes how you want to live your life in the time you have left. For example, do you have personal goals or family milestones you would like to reach? How much do you want to know about your illness? How much does your family know about your priorities and wishes? These are all issues you should consider.
As we move toward the annual observance of National Healthcare Decisions Day, I hope families can move past their reluctance to talk about death and instead have a healthy dialogue about the end of life. We want everyone to feel empowered to plan a good death following a great life.
Kathryn Burns Collins, RN, DMH(c), is interim chief administrative officer at the Health Research and Educational Trust of New Jersey, a nonprofit affiliate of the New Jersey Hospital Association.
