Tag Archives: living will

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Talking Family Healthcare at the Holidays

Portrait of happy family members sitting at festive table on ThaThe holidays are filled with friends, shopping, and being together with family you only get to see this time of year.  And while your visit with parents and siblings should be about catching up, it’s also a good time to check in with your family about important healthcare topics.  These conversations are often difficult but necessary.  

Do all the members of your family have a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare?  MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare:  Your Hospital Stay provides easy and specific steps to complete before being admitted to a hospital.

A durable power of attorney for healthcare or patient advocate designation, is a legal document in which you name the person who will make medical decisions for you if you can’t yourself.  This document is often included in your will or trust. That person, called a patient advocate, will only be able to make decisions for you in the event that you can’t communicate yourself. Your patient advocate can only make medical decisions. He or she won’t be able to make  decisions about your finances unless you also give them that power in your will or trust. You can also give your patient advocate the power to donate your organs or your entire body upon your death.

Often, people do not like to talk about how they will handle their healthcare if they get sick or age.  But finalizing these issues BEFORE you need to is the key.  The holidays are a good time to discuss these issues since it is one of the rare times that many family members are together. Even if it’s only to get them on the family radar.

Do you know where Dad keeps his will or trust?  Do you know what your Mom and Dad want done when they die?  These are important topics to discuss with your family so there will be no surprises.  Communication and preparation can avoid conflicts in the family and unnecessary expenses that arise when your family’s wishes are not known when they get sick or die.

So enjoy the holidays but also find some time to have the important discussions that are necessary to be prepared prior to an illness.

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Although we’d all like to avoid it, it’s likely that most of us will at some point be admitted to the hospital. Whether you are staying in a hospital for a happy event, such as the birth of a child, or are being admitted due to an emergency or serious illness, you should understand how a hospital works. MyHealthSpin’s Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay reveals the easy and practical answers that only an insider knows.

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Available for download NOW!

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Do You Have Rights to Your Senior’s Medical Records?

The short answer is “no” in most cases.  To get that vital information you have to work up front with your loved one before you ever go to the doctor’s office.shutterstock_106616390

Few things in healthcare are as frustrating as having an aging parent with health issues and not be able to see their medical records.  Whether  you are a family member caring for a senior or  or senior yourself who wants to make sure  your potential caregiver can have the information they need,  you should know how to get or give permission to view medical records.

First, your loved one always has the right to designate who they want to have access to their medical records.  When a senior goes to a doctor or hospital, they should specifically ask to fill out a a form saying who should get access to their health records.  The senior’s spouse or children will not necessarily have access without the authorization.

Second, a doctor is allowed to give information to a spouse or family member if he or she is present during a doctor’s visit or a hospital stay.  If the senior has a family member come with them to the doctor, the doctor can assume that the senior wants the family member to have access to the senior’s medical information unless the senior states otherwise.

Third, a senior should have a “Living Will.”  Also called a “Healthcare Declaration,” this  legal document, which varies in different states, will allow the person named in it to make decisions about the patient’s healthcare if they are unable to make decisions themselves.  A Living Will  is fairly simple to fill out.  Often, seniors want to list all of their children, so they can make a joint decision.  This is unwise.  When a loved one is seriously ill, it will be very hard to get a single decision from every family member, each of whom may be scattered all over the country or world.  It’s better to name one person and ask them to talk to the whole family before making the final decision according to the wishes of the patient.

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assisted_smallHow do you make the right decision about moving yourself or a loved one into an Assisted Living Facility without being overwhelmed? How do you even begin talking about it? MyHealthSpin’s “Easy Healthcare: Choosing an Assisted Living Facility” ebook guide gives you all of the practical advice you need to make the right choice.

Available for download NOW!