From the desk of Dr. Michael Gardam, Health PEI CEO
Hi everybody,
It’s Advanced Care Planning Day today (April 16), and this topic doesn’t get nearly as much attention as it should. Helping individuals and families plan for when they cannot speak for themselves in advance is vital to patient-centred care. As clinicians, I suspect we have all witnessed circumstances where a person has received likely futile treatment or did not die “a good death”—the title of a book my friend and colleague Sandra Martin wrote a few years ago (highly recommended by the way).
I am hopeful we have all also seen treatment or end-of-life circumstances that were true to the patient’s or a family member’s wishes that were faithfully carried out because of advanced care planning. Which would you want for a family member, for yourself?
If there is one thing medicine and life have taught me, is that your health circumstances can change in an instant.
Today, Advanced Care Planning Canada is encouraging everyone to think about who would be a substitute decision-maker for them and consider their future wishes through their campaign “If Not You, Who?”
They encourage people to:
- Think about who you would trust with making those important decisions for you.
- Think about what matters most in your life and how that might help guide someone in making the kinds of healthcare decisions you would want.
For healthcare providers, the www.advancecareplanning.ca website has many resources, including guides and articles to help with conversations with patients and clients.
Additionally, please visit the Health PEI website page on Advanced Care Planning to learn more PEI-specific information.
Thanks,
Michael
Please send questions, comments, or submissions for these notes to emclean@gov.pe.ca, subject line “Notes for Michael”.