Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 45)
LIVING WILL
A living will outlines your wishes for medical care at the end of life
if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. This document asks you to
consider what types of life-extending care you might want, such as a ventilator to breathe for you or a feeding tube.
Some people will want doctors to do everything they can; others will not.
The decision is yours. “You can say, ‘I don’t want to live like this,’ ” Black says.
HEALTHCARE POWER OF ATTORNEY
Perhaps the more important document, Black says, is the healthcare power of attorney (or healthcare proxy), which allows you to appoint
someone you trust to make medical decisions for you should you be unable
to. While a living will provides important direction, gray areas arise, and
a person empowered to make decisions on your behalf can weigh the
options based on what you would have wanted.
Choose someone who is willing to take on this important responsibility and—ideally—a person who doesn’t travel frequently and who lives
nearby, Black says.
Jennifer FitzPatrick, MSW, a licensed certified social worker-clinical
who is an expert on caregiving and aging and a consultant for the
Alzheimer’s Association, advises choosing someone who will advocate for
your values rather than their own.
“It doesn’t necessarily have to be the family member you’re closest
with,” she notes, adding that your healthcare agent should be someone
who can stand up to criticism from doctors and other family members.
“Sometimes you’re under scrutiny when you’re holding up somebody
else’s wishes,” adds FitzPatrick, author of the coming book Your 24/7 Older
Parent. Once you’ve made your decision, be sure to share your choice with
your family as well.
“Have a conversation,” she adds. “And say, ‘I chose this person for my
healthcare agent, and here’s why.’ ” This will help your family be supportive of your proxy’s actions if the time comes.
GETTING STARTED
No matter your age or health status, take the time now to think
about what you want. Once you’ve completed your advance directives, have
a conversation with your partner, parents, children and other loved ones—
even if they don’t want to talk about it at first.
“We live in a very death-averse society,” Black says. “We need to be a lot
more comfortable facing this inevitability in life. … And you need to have
your say.”
InTErACTIvE
“The biggest problem is not having [advance directives] in place,” she
says. “What that does is it forces providers to figure out what you would
have wanted. It causes stress between providers and your family members. And it causes stress among your family members.”
To ensure you and your family are prepared, start with a living will and
healthcare power of attorney.
Connect with
Your Physicians
Online
GMC HealthConnect is an online
tool that allows you to store,
view and update all your health
information in one secure place.
You decide who has access to
your medical history, ensuring
your privacy. To sign up, visit
gmchealthconnect.com.
Fighting
Depression
in Seniors
As we get older, we are more inclined to give
thought to advance directives and end-oflife care, particularly if we are facing health
problems or have lost those close to us.
These life changes and losses can also lead
to depression.
“One of the things that we oftentimes
don’t recognize is the prevalence of depression in seniors,” says Carol Minor, LCSW, of
Gwinnett Medical Center. “One reason we
fail to recognize it is that a lot of the symptoms of depression in older adults are also
features of getting older.”
Although fatigue and waning energy levels
are common among seniors, it’s important
not to neglect signs of depression, such as
changes in:
• Sleep patterns
• Eating behaviors
• Physical activity
• Social activity
It might be natural to brush off a senior’s
depression because it “makes sense,” given
a recent loss, Minor says. “The fact that
they’re depressed might be understandable,
but we still need to treat it,” she says, noting
that medications and therapy can help.
SUMM ER 2013
45
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Vim & Vigor - Summer 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Contents
Phil’s Feature
ACL Double Take
Saving the Littlest Lives
The Ultimate Backto- School Checklist
Join the Movement
Stroke Stories
5 Steps to Better Bone Health
Gut Instinct
Morgan Freeman
Prostate Playbook
The Main Ingredient
Looking Ahead
Virtual Health
PrimeTime Health
Delivered from Devastation
A Big Reason to Smile
Out of the White Coat
Transforming Healthcare
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