Chapter 22: Is ICU right for you?
July 5, 2021
In June, I spoke with the wife of an older man who has been suffering from COVID-19 infection about his wishes, to get a better idea
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Since we first launched this site over two years ago, we have been listening to our users and partners and thinking of ways we can expand on and improve the content and tools available within Plan Well Guide. We have received a lot of feedback from people who have used the site, created their plans, as well as planning professionals and those in the health care sector to learn more about how we can provide a more seamless and engaging experience.
If you are going to navigate the complexities of our current health care system you likely need to have someone with experience in the medical field to help and act as your advocate. I am aware of how fortunate I was to be able to play the role of my father’s primary health advocate and that may not be the case for everyone.
COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on older individuals living in long-term care (LTC) settings. The majority of deaths in most countries around the world have been in LTC settings (>80%).[i] This pandemic has highlighted the horrific problems with family visiting privileges, communication and care planning, and adequacy of basic care provided to residents in LTC. With the exception of restricting family visitation rights because of safety concerns due to COVID-19 infection risks, the problems being brought to the surface are sadly not new at all. The pandemic has just shined a spotlight on the under resourced section of our health care system.
Advance Serious Illness Planning is not the same thing as Advance Care Planning. To illustrate, I would like to share and experience of a family member called to step in and make life and death decisions for a loved one.
It is likely you have heard the term ‘comfort measures only’ in the context of medical care and planning. Have you expressed a preference for comfort measures only? Are you sure you have the right preference?
People feel like doing medical planning with a lawyer is an appropriate thing to do! On the other hand, lawyers feel legitimized to develop medical plans with their clients. To me, it's like asking your hairdresser to fix your car.
We’ve gone from having a few conversations with people about advance medical care planning to creating an accessible online tool, to performing an RCT and publishing research articles about how beneficial it is, to now helping people prepare and plan for serious illness amid the coronavirus pandemic. What started out as something small has blossomed into something larger which we’re so proud of, as it has allowed us the opportunity to truly help people prepare for things most important to them.
In June, I spoke with the wife of an older man who has been suffering from COVID-19 infection about his wishes, to get a better idea
A recent conversation with a Plan Well Guide User: Me: What is the biggest learning point for you from going through Plan Well Guide?User: I
Welcome to Our New & Improved Website! May 18, 2021 We are very excited to announce we have launched a newly designed website on May 17th!
Chapter 19 Do your advance serious illness planning (not traditional advance care planning)! April 16th is National Advance Care planning day. It is a time
Chapter 18 Have you done your advance care planning? Did you ‘erroneously’ sign up for comfort measure only? March 11, 2021 It is likely you
Chapter 17 Do you know what your treatment preferences would be if you get seriously ill? February 5, 2021 The whole goal behind Plan Well
Chapter 16 Need a Nudge to Planning for a Brighter New Year? Learn More About our Planning Strategies January 2, 2021 With the advent of
Chapter 15 This Year, Gift Your Loved Ones the Ultimate Present, the Gift of Planning December 3, 2020 This holiday season may look and feel
Chapter 14 COVID & Caregivers – Learn more about how NOW is the time for strong caregiver rights! October 14, 2020 The pandemic has caused
Plan Well Guide is a free Serious Illness Planning tool that will ensure you have a voice in making decisions about your medical care, even if you are incapacitated. It is the first tool of its kind, most other tools deal with planning for end of life care.