Wednesday, January 16, 2013

New website for health care decision-making


I was recently introduced to the website www.prepareforyourcare.org and find it to be a very informative and useful tool to use in the initial planning stages of your health care directives. The website offers an easy to use navigational format, and through videos and presentation slides, the site will guide you to information in the following areas:

1)      Choosing a Medical Decision Maker
2)      Deciding What Matters Most In Life
3)      Choosing Flexibility for Your Decision Maker
4)      Telling Others About Your Wishes
5)      Asking Doctors the Right Questions
After completing the presentation, the site will construct an action plan for you, which you can print out, and use to begin preparing for your future medical needs. 

Planning for end-of-life and other health care needs is becoming crucially important as medical technology advances. There is evidence that patients who lack advance directives may be subjected to more burdensome care than patients who have thought about and communicated their preferences ahead of time. For those who have trouble thinking about these subjects, this website is a great place to start.