Must-Have Document Preparation Brings Peace of Mind

Tewes-NEWS and Tewes-TIPS: Your Must-Have Documents

It’s on your list of things to do, but somehow, it’s overdue… Have the conversations and make the time… don’t wait for a crisis or someone’s end of life. Ensuring that your MUST HAVE DOCUMENTS are created and up to date is a priority. This applies to all adults, not just older people and baby-boomers. Once someone turns 18 years old… it’s time to handle this task. Approach it one at a time or as a bundle… you’ll feel relieved that it’s accomplished, and your family will too. Laws and regulations vary by state. You can access state-specific forms and templates online. Finding the right option for you and your situation may seem daunting. Read on for Tewes-TIPS. Consider discussing with a professional such as an elder-law attorney or Patient Advocate/ Aging Life Care Professional, such as the Tewes-CARES-Team.

In summary, your must-have documents need to be completed while the individual still has decision-making capacity and they include, for example:

• Financial Power of Attorney: grants a trusted agent the authority to act on behalf of the principal in financial matters. There are durable and springing financial POAs.
• Advanced Health Care Directives: Advanced health care directives don’t remove one’s ability to make decisions for themselves, they spring into action after a person loses their ability to make decisions … only when they’ve been deemed to lack decision-making capacity.
  • Health Care Proxy (sometimes called Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare)- an individual appoints a primary and secondary person to decide about their medical treatment including life sustaining treatment when they lose the ability to communicate those wishes themselves. Proxy Agents are to be the VOICE of the patient, best interests, not necessarily a choice they would make for themselves. It is very important to know someone’s wishes about intubation, mechanical ventilation, artificial nutrition and hydration such as tube feedings.
  • Living Will: The living will is a written statement of clear and convincing evidence of one’s desires for or against certain health care and life-sustaining options. It’s applicable based on the patient’s condition and prognosis. It documents a summary of patient’s preferences for future medical care in certain circumstances. Often covers patients’ preferences regarding pain management and specific treatments such as chemotherapy or dialysis.

Have the conversation about:

• Your end of life wishes: Dialogue between patients, family and health care providers to reflect patients’ goals, values, beliefs, and how they may influence medical decisions.
• Your estate management
• Your health care preferences
• Your CPR or DNR status: DNR or Do Not Resuscitate is a medical order the physician notes in the patient’s chart. A DNR order is specific for one’s cardio-pulmonary resuscitation; it does not mean ‘do not treat’ in general.

These important documents will help you through your medical journey and should be kept in a safe, yet accessible place. Provide copies to your family, those named as Proxy Agents, surrogates or designated representatives as well as your doctor. Scan the documents into your computer so that it’s easy to access them in a hurry. Carry them in your smart-phone.

Tewes-TIP: scan and carry your medication list in your smart-phone… AND the advanced health care directives and medication lists of your loved ones, too.

If you would like to discuss these topics further or learn more about how the Tewes-CARES-Team can guide and support you and your family, feel free to call. We are here to help… we want to help. Our goal is to provide personalized, compassionate comprehensive health care coordination and advocacy for adults, the aging and disabled…including those with psychiatric developmental challenges. Our motto is guiding from uncertain and overwhelmed to informed, relieved and assured of improved care, patient-experience, and life satisfaction. Aging Life Care Professionals have these core areas of knowledge: Crisis intervention… Health and Disability… Financial… Legal… Housing… Family… Local Resources… and Advocacy.

When to reach out to Tewes-CARES:

• When concerns go beyond your or your constellation of supports’ expertise and ability to help or cope;
• patient/ family need information about community services;
• individual has little or no support from others or seems to fall through the cracks of the health care system;
• patient/ family need unbiased information;
• family disagrees about next steps;
• caregiver feels overwhelmed and struggling;
• oversight is needed;
• person is vulnerable for abuse neglect or exploitation;
• need to know how to navigate the continuum of care;
• how to advocate for yourself and others in various health care settings.

Bonus Tewes-TIP: Ridgefield’s Senior Gold Card- free to Ridgefield residents 65 years old. Gold Care holders receive various free and discounted services from numerous town departments, organizations, and businesses. Get yours at Town Hall.

Visit Leslie-Alin Tewes, President and Chief Practitioner at her Main Street office, contact at LeslieAlin@TewesCARES.com 203/826-9206; visit www.TewesCARES.com. Follow www.Facebook.com/TewesCARES

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