This post was written by Chris Brinneman, MSW, LCSW, Advance Care Planning manager, Parkview Health.
I feel like we are inundated with satisfaction surveys from a variety of services these days. From a car dealership to online retailers, and my favorite local bakery to healthcare providers, we are asked to weigh in about our experiences. Each survey, paper or electronic, scales or star ratings, helps companies measure a level of satisfaction with their products/services. Our department has a satisfaction survey as well.
I work in the Advance Care Planning (ACP) department. ACP is an ongoing process that supports adults of any age, at any stage of health or illness, to reflect on and discuss their experiences, values, beliefs, and treatment preferences for future medical care. Planning for potential future healthcare crises can help ease the concerns of family members, prevent confusion about decision-making, and guide the management of care in an intentional way. And, if an individual and the people that matter most have participated in advance care planning, the survivors are much more likely to experience decreased stress, anxiety and depression in their bereavement. Additionally, when appropriate and desired, an advance care planning facilitator can help individuals complete advance directive documents to guide the decision-making process.
Creating an advance directive
An advance directive is a written statement that outlines an individual’s wishes regarding medical treatment made to ensure that those preferences are carried out if the individual cannot voice them during a future healthcare crisis. More importantly, an advance directive allows an individual to appoint a trusted loved one to make important decisions if that individual is unable to do so for health reasons.
Navigating critical conversations
Planning in advance for that moment when you will need medical care can feel unsettling and uncomfortable, no matter how old you are. You could need unexpected medical care when you are 18, 83, or anywhere in between. However, an ACP conversation does not have to be scary, daunting, or overwhelming. In fact, having the conversation and completing appropriate advance directives can be liberating and so helpful.
The Advance Care Planning facilitators at Parkview Health, and those we have trained who work in community settings, guide individuals and their important people through conversations that can help when facing a medical crisis. Advance Care Planning allows for documentation of care goals in full compliance with state and federal regulations, improved communication and care coordination between patients, caregivers and doctors, peace of mind knowing wishes are being honored and higher satisfaction with the care being given.
Satisfaction is our priority
At the end of an Advance Care Planning conversation, individuals are asked to complete a satisfaction survey. At the bottom of the survey, there is room for that person to describe what the facilitator could have done differently to enhance the conversation. Regarding this question, people who participate in advance care planning frequently comment on the facilitator’s compassion and caring or comment positively on their experiences, saying things like:
- I felt comfortable and able to share my thoughts and feelings.
- I felt it not only helped me feel better, but it helped my daughter's piece of mind as well.
- It helped me make decisions I didn't think I was ready to make, and I felt good about making them.
- For the topic and material being discussed, this was a very pleasant meeting. Please don't change a thing!
- We are better prepared for end-of-life decision making because of our time at this meeting.
- I feel much more confident in my decisions; everything was explained so well.
- I will sleep so much better tonight knowing that we have started this important conversation.
The value of participation in an Advance Care Planning conversation cannot be overstated. There is so much worth to the individual having the conversation, the person who will be appointed as their legally- authorized decision maker (health care representative), other family and friends, and the medical team.
Learn more
To learn more about Advance Care Planning, I invite you to listen to the following podcasts. In each episode, Quality Improvement Specialist Cathy Wray from QSource, which is contracted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve quality and achieve better outcomes in health and healthcare, leads a conversation with Katie Hougham, Vice President of PACE Operations a division of Aging and In-Home Services of Northeast Indiana, and me.
- Advance Care Planning and how to engage in the conversation with loved ones and caregivers
- Advance Care Planning in the thick of COVID-19, including how the pandemic has had patients, families and clinicians broach the subject with one another.
- New Indiana Advance Care Planning law that provides changes to the process of transitioning an advance care planning conversation into legal documents called advance directives.
To schedule your own cost-free Advance Care Planning conversation, please call Parkview Health ACP at 260-266-1481 or email acpdept@parkview.com.
