Healthcare Decisions Day workshop scheduled

It seems that health care is getting more complicated these days. As technology becomes increasingly advanced, it raises more questions than ever for people who have a debilitating illness or a life-threatening injury. In the case of an accident, do they want to be revived? How likely is a full recovery? When would they want the doctors to pull the plug — and will ethics allow it?

These questions are hard enough when answered by the patients themselves, but when family members have to speak for an incapacitated loved one, it can be devastating to try to divine his or her wishes.

"It's much better for everyone if (a patient's) wishes are known ahead of time."

Appointing a person to speak on one's behalf can reduce the stress on family members in the face of an emergency medical decision, she says.

To drive this point home, local health care providers are drawing attention to National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16, which encourages people to appoint a health care proxy and clarify their wishes when it comes to future health care decisions.

Designating a health care proxy is a good move for anyone over the age of 18, says Dr. Susan Ehrenthal, a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands in Sandwich. The proxy can speak on behalf of patients who are no longer able to speak for themselves.

"Above the age of 18, start thinking about it, because when something bad happens to you, you're not at that point able to appoint someone," she says.

In addition, she says, patients should think about their quality of life when articulating their wishes to their proxy.

"I think people have too high expectations about what technology can do," Ehrenthal says. "With all the new technology, sometimes we're prolonging death, not prolonging life."

In addition to appointing a health care proxy, people must then talk to that person about their wishes, says Marilyn Kramer, executive director of the Partnership for Healthcare Excellence, an organization dedicated to helping Massachusetts consumers improve the quality of their health care. According to Kramer, only 25 percent of Americans over the age of 18 have designated a health care proxy. An even smaller number of people have actually discussed what kind of health care they would like to receive in a debilitated state.

"The issue is speaking with that person ... about your wishes. What are your thoughts about life support? What are your thoughts about hospice?" she says.

"I think people have too high expectations about what technology can do," Ehrenthal says. "With all the new technology, sometimes we're prolonging death, not prolonging life."

An interesting point :-)