In recognition of National Healthcare Decisions Day, April 16, 2019, Talbot Hospice will host three free public events in April. According to Vivian Dodge, Executive Director, Talbot Hospice, National Healthcare Decisions Day exists to inspire, educate, and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance healthcare planning and making your wishes known. “We like to ask individuals if they were suddenly unable to speak for themselves in the event of an illness or accident, do their loved ones and physicians know what their wishes and preferences are for the kind of medical care they want,” said Dodge. “It’s never too early to start thinking about giving this gift to your family and taking away the burden of making those decisions for you.”
On Tuesday, April 16, 9 a.m. at Brookletts Place – Talbot Senior Center, Lindy Barton, LGSW, will lead a discussion about the importance of making advance healthcare decisions and sharing your wishes with your loved ones and physicians. Barton will assist participants with understanding their options and completing advance directive paperwork, including America’s most popular living will – Five Wishes – an easy-to-use legal document written in everyday language.
On Thursday, April 18, 4 p.m. Maryland Community for Life-Talbot and Talbot Hospice are partnering to host Talbot Conversations: Making Your End-of-Life Wishes Known at Talbot Hospice, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton. Talbot Hospice Executive Director Vivian Dodge will discuss strategies to share end-of-life care preferences with family, how to identify a healthcare agent, and ways to start the conversation about your choices. Refreshments will be served.
On Tuesday, April 30, 10 a.m., Talbot Hospice will screen the film Being Mortal, a documentary that explores the hopes of patients and families facing terminal illness and their relationships with the physicians who treat them. Afterwards, Molly Kirsch, Talbot Hospice Clinical Director, will address comments and questions about the film and discuss the steps we can take to make sure that our own wishes and those of our loved ones are expressed and respected.
Registration for these events is encouraged and can be made by calling 410-822-6681.
Talbot Hospice, founded in 1981, is Talbot County’s premier resource for hospice, palliative care, and grief support services. For more information about Talbot Hospice programs and events visit TalbotHospice.org.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.