April 16 was National Advance Care Planning Day and it is important to talk to loved ones about end-of-life care, says Health and Wellness Minister Doug Currie.
“This is an opportunity for Islanders to let their loved ones know what their values, wishes and beliefs are when it comes to end-of-life care,” said the minister. “It is a conversation we all put off for our own reasons, but it is one of the most important conversations you can have with your family and loved ones. It ensures that your wishes will be respected in the event you can’t speak for yourself, if that day comes.”
In Prince Edward Island, advance care planning can include appointing a Health Care Proxy to make health care decisions for you if you become unable to do so yourself or making a Health Care Directive (Living Will) to set out your wishes, values and preferences for care.
Health PEI is in the process of integrating advance care planning into the province’s Long Term Care facilities and is joining a national campaign to increase awareness. The National Advance Care Planning in Canada initiative, “Speak Up” campaign, encourages all Canadians to tell their stories about why they started their plans and why it should be important to everyone. There is helpful information and a number of tools linked to the Health PEI website that can help Islanders get their own conversations started.
“Most of us hope to die peacefully with the ability to communicate with our loved ones right up until the end of our lives, but unfortunately that does not always happen,” says Dr. Mireille Lecours, the Provincial Palliative Care Medical Consultant for Prince Edward Island. “That is why it is so important for everyone to have an advance care plan. It is not only for seniors or people with terminal illnesses. We cannot predict the future and accidents and illnesses can, and do, occur suddenly, so it is important to be prepared.”
The Department of Health and Wellness and Health PEI are offering Islanders an opportunity to learn more about developing their own plans. Later this month, experts in the field of advance care planning will be providing advice and answering questions about how individuals can start their planning process. Public sessions are being held in Charlottetown on April 23 and in Summerside on April 30.
For more information about the workshops and advance care planning, go to www.healthpei.ca/advancecareplanning.