Kerikeri Retirement Village has a Care Facility and, from time to time, we find ourselves faced with a situation where a seriously ill resident decides that he or she doesn’t wish to be moved to hospital for advanced care or treatment that we can’t provide here.
These are heart-wrenching moments. On the one hand we know that treatment is needed if these residents are to survive. On the other hand we understand that their rooms in our Care Facility are their homes. Their personal spaces. The places in which they feel safe and comfortable.
And, like many of us, they wish nothing more than to spend their final days in familiar surroundings, surrounded by their loved ones and treasured possessions that trigger happy memories. Rather than suffering a rough ride in an ambulance simply to end their days in a hospital environment.
In many cases these residents have created Advanced Care Plans. These are documents that tell us and anyone else involved in their care how they wish to be treated and cared for if they are unable to speak for themselves. They are always drawn up in advance, while residents are well and fully understand what they are requesting or specifying.
In other cases they have made other very specific arrangements that prevent us from moving them to hospital.
The point is, we as the Village do not always have the final say about whether or not our seriously ill residents can be moved to hospital for the treatment that others think they should be getting. We are here to support our residents by giving them the treatment they, and their family, want.
We understand completely that the subject of preparing for possible debilitating illness or death can be quite confronting. But it is important if you have firm views on how you would like to be treated or cared for if you become so ill that you can’t communicate your wishes. Advance Care Plans are relatively easy to create, too.
An Enduring Power of Attorney is the second half of the equation for anyone considering an Advance Care Plan. This is a legal document that states who will make decisions for you in the event you have an injury or illness which leaves you unable to make decisions for yourself. This person should have a copy of your Advance Care Plan, as should your doctor, your family and, if appropriate, your retirement village or aged care facility’s medical records administrator.
People often think that because they have a Will, and have appointed an executor in their Will, that this person will be the one that makes the decisions if they are incapacitated. But that’s not the case. An executor cannot make decisions for you, or specify the way you should be cared for, in the same way as an Enduring Power of Attorney or an Advance Medical Plan.
Having said all that, it’s also really important that you don’t take my word for it. Putting an Advance Care Plan in place is something everyone can think about, but please first talk it through with your family, then your doctor and lawyer.
