Attention on Medical Overtreatment Raises Awareness on Advance Care Planning, Hospice and Palliative Care

NHPCO's Caring Connections Encourages People to Learn More

(Alexandria, Va) – Recent media coverage (Associated Press 06/29/10) on the challenges patients and families face with overtreatment of a life-limiting illness brings the issues of hospice and palliative care and advance care planning to public attention.

“It’s important to remember that quality of life and a patient’s personal wishes, beliefs and values must be a factor when making care decisions brought about by a serious or terminal illness,” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.

“Discussions helping patients and families understand the many benefits of hospice and palliative care must be more common and held long before a family faces a medical crisis,” Schumacher added.

Advance Care Planning

Advance care planning—which includes completing a living will and appointing a healthcare proxy—is somewhat like planning a road trip to an unfamiliar destination. Very few people would expect to get to a destination safely and comfortably without having a well-thought-out map in hand. Yet, it’s estimated that 70 percent of Americans have not completed a living will.

• A living will charts the course for your healthcare, letting your family and health care providers know what procedures and treatments you would want provided to you—and under what conditions.
• A healthcare proxy or healthcare power of attorney form, allows you to choose someone you trust to take charge of your healthcare decisions in case you are unable to make those decisions yourself.
• Advance directives can be changed as an individual’s situation or wishes change.

Hospice and Palliative Care

Many people mistakenly think that hospice is simply a place you go when nothing more can be done to address an illness. That misunderstanding can keep people from accessing the expert care that hospice and palliative care offers.

NHPCO reports that more than a third of hospice patients received care for seven days or less—not enough time to take full advantage of the range of available services.

Hospice and palliative care provide symptom management, pain control, and support to address emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs.

“Hospice brings patients and families compassionate care when a cure isn’t possible. Palliative care provides comfort and support earlier in the course of a serious illness and is not dependent upon prognosis,” explained Schumacher. “Together, hospice and palliative care provide solutions beyond traditional medical care. Most importantly, hospice and palliative care provide dignity at a time when it’s needed most.”

Important Facts

• Over 80 percent of hospice care takes place in the home.
• Over 1,300 hospitals have palliative care programs; many of the nation’s 4,800 hospice providers offer palliative care services as well.
• Hospice care is covered under Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance plans.
• Bereavement services are available to family for a year following the death of a loved one.
• Research has shown that hospice patients lived an average of 29 days longer than similar patients who did not opt for hospice care.

Learn more about advanced care planning, hospice care, and palliative care from NHPCO's Caring Connections at www.CaringInfo.org or call the HelpLine at 1-800-658-8898.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO, Vice President of Communications
Ph: 703-837-3139
jradulovic@nhpco.org

What Are Living Wills? NHPCO offers free advance care planning resources

(Alexandria, Va) – Over the past weeks, Keith Olbermann has shared his personal experience regarding his father’s health crisis on his MSNBC program “Countdown.” On yesterday’s broadcast (03/11/10) Olbermann spoke about the necessity of loved ones talking about the care they would want and completing a living will and appointing a health care proxy.

“Talking with families about health care wishes and completing living wills while you are healthy is about living fully,” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. “Planning ahead and understanding the choices you and your loved ones might have to decide during a medical crisis has nothing to do with the infamous ‘death panels’ that have caused such confusion and distraction about an issue important to every single one of us.”

NHPCO’s Caring Connections initiative offers a range of materials and information free of charge—including state specific advance directive forms—at caringinfo.org/planningahead.

Planning ahead is about preparing for the future today. Communicating your end-of-life wishes to your loved ones, appointing a health care power of attorney, and addressing financial issues such as wills and paying for long-term care are just a few of the issues you can address today to plan ahead.

What are Advance Directives?

An advance directive—often called a living will—allows you to document your wishes concerning medical treatments and care when facing a medical crisis or at the end of life.

A medical power of attorney—also known as a health care proxy—is part of advance care planning. This allows you to appoint a person you trust as your health care agent (or surrogate decision maker), who is authorized to make medical decisions on your behalf. Before a medical power of attorney goes into effect a person’s physician must conclude that they are unable to make their own medical decisions.

Advance directives are legally valid throughout the United States. It is important to complete and sign advance directives that comply with your state's law. However, you do not need a lawyer to complete and execute a living will or health care power of attorney. Each Caring Connections, state-specific advance care planning packet comes with complete step-by-step instructions. The documents are free of charge.

Visit caringinfo.org to learn more about planning for the unthinkable before a crisis. Information is also available from the HelpLine at 1-800-658-8898. Providers are encouraged to share these resources with their community.

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Caring Connections offers resources to help providers reach out and educate communities about advance care planning. Here are some of the resources that can be found on the Caring

Connections website:
· How to Talk with Your Loved Ones
· What to do if Family Members Disagree
· How to Talk with Your Healthcare Providers
· Talking with Others about Their End-of-Life Wishes
· Are You Traveling Without a Map? A Layperson’s Guide to Advance Care Planning
· Advance Care Planning Awareness Ribbon

Contact:
Kathy Brandt
Vice President, Innovation and Access
Ph: 703-837-3125

Jon Radulovic
NHPCO Vice President, Communications
Ph: 703-837-3139

Google Health and Caring Connections

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Caring Connections and Google Health Offer New Way to Access Advance Directives Online

Alexandria, VA – Ensuring that one’s healthcare wishes are known and will be honored in the event of a healthcare crisis is what advance care planning is all about. Today, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Caring Connections, a leading provider of advance care planning information, and Google Health™ have come together to increase the availability and accessibility of advance care planning information and resources online.

Advance directives, also known as living wills and healthcare power of attorney forms, allow an individual to express their wishes if they are in a medical crisis and unable to communicate. These documents provide specific information to healthcare professionals and can help guide family caregivers called upon to make decisions on behalf of someone who is not able to speak for themselves.

“How can medical professionals honor your healthcare wishes and preferences if they don’t know what they are?” said J. Donald Schumacher, president and CEO of NHPCO. “Advance directives are useless unless they are available during emergency healthcare situations. Google Health will make these documents accessible online and will eliminate a huge barrier of access during times of need.”

A new feature on Google Health enables users to download a free, state-specific advance directive and store the scanned documents securely online. This will help overcome a common barrier in emergency healthcare situations, where it can be difficult to access a patient’s advance directive.

Google Health is a secure, online Personal Health Record (PHR) that allows consumers to store, organize, and share important healthcare information. Google chose to work with Caring Connections because they are the only provider that offers free, state-specific, online advance directives. In the past three years, Caring Connections has distributed more than 2.5 million advance directive forms. They also provide information to help people understand advance care planning and begin conversations with family and healthcare professionals.

The process to store an advance directive form in Google Health is easy:

1. Go to your Google Health account at google.com/health, or create a new account if you don’t have one already.


2. Download and print the advance directive form for your state at caringinfo.org/googlehealth


3. Complete the form and sign it.


4. Scan the signed document and upload it to your Google Health account.

By taking time to do these simple steps, you are making your healthcare wishes available to those who may need them in a time of crisis. Not only is this an important step to take for your own well-being but it’s a gift for your family members and loved ones who may need to act on your behalf.

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Contact:
Jon Radulovic
NHPCO
Ph: 703-837-3139
jradulovic@nhpco.org
www.caringinfo.org
Caring Connections is a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Learn more at CaringInfo.org.