Healthy Aging Month Part 1
As nurse advocates, we believe that healthy aging is crucial for maintaining independence and quality of life as we grow older. That’s why we are here to support you in reaching your healthy aging goals and ensuring that you have a plan in place for the future. September is Healthy Aging Month so each week we will be focusing on a topic to allow you to age gracefully and to travel the journey of healthy aging with as few bumps as possible.
As we age, our bodies and minds change, and how we care for ourselves can significantly impact our quality of life in our golden years. To celebrate Healthy Aging Month this September, we’re talking about an essential aspect of aging that adult children and aging parents should prioritize: advance directives. Advance directives are legal documents that outline your wishes for medical treatment should you become unable to make decisions for yourself.
This first week we are focusing on Advance Directives. We have talked a lot about these, but we want to take it one step further in this post and address when your Advance Directives should be updated and known as the 5 D’s. More on that in a few minutes.
Why Advance Directives are Essential for Healthy Aging
Advance directives are legal documents that outline your healthcare preferences and wishes in case you become unable to communicate them yourself. They include living wills, durable power of attorney for healthcare, and do-not-resuscitate orders, or POLST (Physicians Order for Life Sustaining Treatment). As people age, it becomes more critical to have these documents in place to ensure that your wishes are respected and that your family members are not burdened with difficult decisions. Nurse Advocates can be an essential partner to work with you and your family in choosing the right documents and assisting in the preparation with you and your family. Often a third-party such as a Nurse Advocate can answer questions for you and your family especially when some family members may not agree or are not on the same page as you.
As individuals age, the need for healthcare decisions often becomes more frequent. It is important for individuals to consider and communicate their healthcare wishes before they become unable to make those decisions for themselves. Not having these documents in place can put you and your family at risk to have a stranger make those decisions for you. A court appointed guardian may need to be put in place if no one has been identified legally on your behalf and listed on your documents.
As nurse advocates for aging adults, we understand firsthand the importance of advance directives in ensuring that your wishes are respected, and that you receive the care that aligns with your values and beliefs. However, simply creating an advance directive is not enough. The next step in managing your Advance Directives is knowing when they should be updated. Let’s explore the 5 D’s that signal when it’s time to update your advance directives and provide details to help you understand why these life events are so important in triggering your documents to be updated.
The Five D’s.
- Distance
It’s equally essential to keep them up to date when you move to a new state or country. Different states and countries may have different legal and ethical requirements, which can affect the validity of advance directives. Each state has their own form and with a “generic” form such as the “5 Wishes” there are several states that require an addendum for this form to be legal in that state. As advocates we like the “5 Wishes” form as it is less institutional and more personal in the questions and information that is collected.
If you are moving or spend a great deal of your golden years in another state, make sure you get counseling to make sure your documents are legal in the state, for example, that you may winter in.
- Decade
As we age, our values and beliefs may change, and our medical care preferences may shift to reflect these changes. For this reason, it’s recommended that you revisit and update your advance directives every ten years or whenever there is a significant change in your life or medical condition.
Every ten years, it’s essential to review your advance directives. As we continue to age, our medical situations change and so do our values, which can influence our medical decisions. A lot can change in 10 years. You may have developed a chronic health condition and your choices on treatment and life sustaining measures may change.
Some family members that are listed to represent you may have passed or you may have changed your mind on who you would like to represent your wishes.
- Divorce/Marriage
Divorce or separation can significantly impact the individuals listed in your advance directives, particularly if they were designated as your healthcare decision-maker or included in your end-of-life care planning. Updating your advance directives following a significant life event like divorce is a crucial but often overlooked step in ensuring that your medical wishes align with your current circumstances.
Divorce is a life-changing event that can alter your circumstances and medical priorities. Updating your advance directives post-divorce can ensure that your medical wishes align with your current situation and outlook.
- Diagnosis/Disability/Decline
Often, as we age, we experience significant health changes. A new diagnosis or a change in a current diagnosis can result in the necessity to update advance directives to reflect your new medical needs.
Whether it be a new health condition or a change in an existing one, a diagnosis can significantly impact your medical care and may cause you to reevaluate your advanced directives. For example, if you have a newfound allergy or intolerance to a medication listed in your directives, it’s important to update them to ensure that you receive appropriately safe and effective care.
Decline in physical or cognitive function can significantly impact your ability to communicate with healthcare providers and make decisions for yourself. If you experience a decline in function, it’s essential to update your advance directives as soon as possible to ensure that your wishes for medical care are followed and respected.
When a decline in cognitive function occurs, it is very important that your Advanced Directives are updated before you are no longer able to make your own decisions. This is not a pleasant thing to have to think about but a realistic topic to be addressed especially if you have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease or another form of dementia.
- Death
It goes without saying that if a loved one listed in your advance directives passes away, it’s essential to remove them from your documents and update them accordingly to reflect accurate and current information.
It is also important to contact your estate planning attorney if a family member or other designee in any part of your estate such as your home, savings or retirement accounts, or other assets passes away. In some cases, their share may go to their heirs vs. being removed from your estate. Seek legal guidance as soon as possible if this situation occurs.
Conclusion:
As we celebrate Healthy Aging Month, it’s important to remember that aging is a natural process and that how we care for ourselves can significantly impact our quality of life in our golden years. Advance directives are crucial documents that outline your wishes for medical treatment should you become unable to make decisions for yourself. They should be reviewed, updated, and revised regularly to account for significant changes in health or life circumstances.
As nurse advocates for aging adults, we understand the importance of these documents in ensuring that you receive respectful, safe, and appropriate medical care. We hope that this blog post has equipped you with knowledge and tools to navigate the sometimes complicated and challenging healthcare system and prioritize advance directives in your care planning. Don’t hesitate to reach out if our services may be of benefit to you and your family.
Remember, life is a journey, and as we continue to age, our perspectives and medical situations change. It’s your responsibility to reflect these changes in your advance directives.
Take care and thanks for stopping by. We have included our Ultimate Decision Checklist for you to get and download HERE. It is a list of all the documents and decisions to consider when starting your advanced life planning for healthcare on the road to your golden years.
Happy Healthy Aging Month, and we will see you back here next week for Part 2 of 4 on Healthy Aging. Check out the resources below for more free resources and other information pertaining to this topic for a deeper dive.
See you back here soon,
Pam and Linda
Your Nurse Advocates
“Compassionate care for aging parents, peace of mind for adult children.”
Resources:
Take the Free Quiz, “How Prepared Are You for Your Golden Years?”
Free Ultimate Decision Checklist
Free Weekly Newsletter: “Senior Saturdays”
Free Community Private Forum “Speaking Out on the Care of Your Aging Parents”
Free PDF “11 Signs Your Aging Parent May Need Help in the Home”
Free Mini-Course “Know the ABC’s and Terminology of Senior Care”
