Driftless Health: Advance Care Planning not just for elderly, experts say

Speaking about the health care one wants to receive in end-of-life situations is never an easy conversation, but it’s something many medical centers and hospitals believe adults of all ages should discuss more openly. 

Speaking about the health care one wants to receive in end-of-life situations is never an easy conversation, but it’s something experts at Gundersen Health System, and many medical centers and hospitals believe adults of all ages should discuss more openly. The process is known as Advance Care Planning (ACP); so a plan is in place in case someone is unable to speak for themselves.
“It’s a conversation, and it’s thinking about what’s important to you and what your goals and values are,” said Denise Nicholson, program manager for Gundersen’s ACP program. 
Gundersen offers free ACP clinic appointments to assist people through the process of developing a plan and creating an advance directive, a legal document that goes into effect when someone becomes unable to speak for themselves or enters a vegetative state. Like living wills, the document provides a person’s end-of-life desires, but the directive also identifies the person designated as the medical decision maker. The plan can also be updated as the person gets older and his or her life changes. 
Studies nationwide have shown planning in advance results in fewer hospitalizations and intensive treatments at the end of a person’s life. A study released in June by the University of Southern California found advance directives lowered out-of-pocket costs, easing the financial burden of healthcare on the family. Nicholson said everyone should begin to have the conversation after they turn 18 years old. However, the conversation doesn’t have to be focused on death. 
“It’s not an end-of-life plan. It’s not how I want to die; it’s how I want to live,” said Nicholson. 
Nicholson said approaching the topic with loved ones is often the hardest part of the process. She said there are several ways families can discuss it. “If a family is watching a movie, for example, and there’s something happening in that movie, it could spark something like, ‘If that were me, I would want this,’ or ‘I would not want that,’ is a great way to get it started,” said Nicholson. “Or just say, ‘There are some things I want to talk about.’”
Nicholson said people are often nervous ahead of their ACP appointments but feel relieved once it’s over. 
“It seems scary, but after people come in and meet with us, they say, ‘I’m so happy that I did this. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be,’” said Nicholson. 
If you are interested in making an appointment to meet with one of Gundersen’s ACP Liaisons, visit their website at gundersenhealth.org/patients-visitors/advance-care-planning or call 608- 775-6000, or contact your primary care physician or local medical center.