What is advance care planning?

PLYMOUTH — Have you wondered how to talk to your loved ones about what medical care you would or wouldn’t want in a medical crisis? Does your health care provider want you to have these conversations and fill out your end of life wishes? Would your wishes change if it was COVID-19 related? Pemi-Baker Community Health is here to help with all your advance care planning needs.

Advance care planning is a process of understanding, reflecting on and discussing your experiences, values and beliefs in an effort to identify how you want to live if faced with a serious or life-limiting illness. It may include identifying the care you would want at the end of your life. It is important to choose someone to speak on your behalf if you are unable to make your own decisions, and take comfort in knowing that person will convey your wishes. You can also decide if you want to complete an ACP document, often referred to as an advance directive. Finally, you will want to communicate your wishes to your family, friends, clergy, other advisors, physicians and other health care professionals to help ensure that your wishes are honored.

Take time to plan ahead now so future healthcare challenges don’t create difficult questions and unnecessary worry for family caregivers and decision makers. Pemi-Baker Community Health offers free monthly Zoom workshops to help you ‘FILL OUT YOUR FORMS.’ Download the advance directive form from their website, poor a cup of coffee and join them for a group Zoom meeting to walk you through the form and answer any questions you might have.

Pemi-Baker’s Social Workers will be neutral guides helping you reflect on and identify the values, beliefs and goals that shape the way you make health care decisions. As experienced facilitators, they will explain how important sharing this information is to others so that decisions can be made for you if you ever cannot speak for yourself.

The next ‘FILL OUT YOUR FORMS’ Zoom meeting is on Thursday, Jan. 21 at 11 a.m. Contact Pemi-Baker Community Health to register by calling 603-536-2232 or emailing info@pbhha.org. PBCH also offers free one on one virtual advance care planning appointments and monthly ‘Coffee With Caregivers’ support groups via Zoom.

PBCH is located at 101 Boulder Point Drive, Plymouth, NH. To contact us please call: 603-536-2232 or email: info@pbhha.org Visit our website: www.pbhha.org and like our Facebook Page: @PBCH4