If you’re like most people, you probably haven’t spent much time thinking about National Healthcare Decisions Day (April 16th). You may not have heard of it at all. But the idea behind it matters more than many people realize.
This day, each year is meant to encourage people to think about a difficult but important question: If I couldn’t speak for myself, how would I want to be cared for?
When people hear the phrase advance care planning, they may picture legal forms, medical directives, or difficult decisions they don’t feel ready to make. This is part of why we have an official Healthcare Decisions Day. So many healthcare decisions are a complex tangle of emotion, situation and the people you care most deeply about. It’s hard to wade into those waters when you don’t have to.
It’s easy to avoid end of life decisions as something distant, something only older adults need to worry about. But in reality, advance care planning matters at all stages of life. We all know a medical emergency, an accident or a crisis can happen unexpectedly, and when it does, having your wishes known can bring clarity to an otherwise overwhelming moment.
If you haven’t made advance care plans yet, now is the best time to begin, no matter what your age or health status is. Here are some reasons why.
It’s hard to open this kind of conversation without prompting
Knowing a conversation is important doesn’t always make it easier to start. Advance care planning asks people to slow down and think about situations they may not feel ready to face, (which is one reason it often gets pushed aside.)
“Often, these conversations touch areas such as fear, uncertainty, and mortality that many of us are unsure how to navigate,” says Denise DeZolt, PhD, Rasmussen University’s Interim Chief Academic Officer and an end-of-life doula.
DeZolt explains that people may also avoid advance planning conversations out of love. They don’t want to worry their loved ones or make things feel too real.
That kind of hesitation is understandable. But think of this national healthcare decisions day as a gentle invitation to begin this conversation with the people you love.
It allows you to help your loved ones in a future time of need
When you work through some advance care plans, think of it as boxing a wrapping a present for your friends and family.
You are working ahead to help them in the event of any future medical crisis or accident. In the midst of any confusion and grief they might experience if you came to harm, your planning would ease the stress of having to make critical care decisions on your behalf.
“They are not left guessing,” DeZolt says. “Rather they are empowered to act with confidence, knowing they are honoring us. It’s a quiet, yet powerful gift, especially as it allows space for our loved ones to be fully present with us in our final journey.”
It’s an important gift to yourself in a time of need as well
It can be hard to think about death or misfortune, but when you do think about it and communicate what you would want, you will give your future self a gift as well.
“When our wishes are known, our care is more aligned with our values and desires,” DeZolt says.
She recommends breathing into the space and asking yourself…
What gives my life meaning?
What feels like dignity?
What would feel like too much?
Who do I trust to speak for me?
It can help to begin with values and these more personal questions, rather than medical details, DeZolt says.
That shift can make these conversations feel more manageable. When your values are clear, future decisions can become clearer too—not only for you, but also for the loved ones who may one day be asked to help carry out your wishes.
How to begin a conversation about advance care planning
Advance care planning is such an important act of care. It helps clarify your wishes, but it also helps the people around you carry less uncertainty in difficult moments.
National Healthcare Decisions Day is a timely reminder that these conversations don’t have to start perfectly. They just have to start before a crisis makes them harder.
To start this conversation with people you love, DeZolt recommends beginning with one honest, low-pressure sentence:
“I’ve been thinking about what matters to me if I were seriously ill, and I am wondering if I might share that with you?”
A question like that can create space for a conversation without forcing it. Besides, the more time you have to familiarize yourself with things you might want to cover in your advance care plan, the better it will be.
So many things about the end of life come as a surprise—not only to the individual, but also to their loved ones. (For more about that, check out What I Wish I Knew Before Working in Hospice Nursing).
It’s a time when you want to save your energy for emotional processing, not for wading through complicated choices and paperwork.
The National Institute on Aging offers several advance care planning worksheets to help you consider essential questions and write down the important information you’d want your loved ones to know.
In honor of National Healthcare Decisions Day, take a look at those worksheets and start creating your plan of care—Advance Care Planning Worksheets.
This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute advice. Please consult with a medical and/or legal professional in the healthcare industry.
