Advanced Care Planning
As we serve Mardela Springs in Wicomico County, Ocean Pines in Worcester County, and many other towns and cities along Maryland’s Eastern Shore, we have noticed a trend we wish to address: the small percentage of our community that has has heard of and used Advance Care Directives. As defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Advance Care Directives and Advanced Care Planning involves planning for all the “what ifs” of life and can be done whether you are sick or well.
Advance Care Planning lets your family from wondering if they “did the right thing” for you. The CDC estimates approximately 70% of Americans are without an advanced care plan. Because of this, we have found two resources we find extremely beneficial for our clients and our community. THIS ARTICLE details many of the statistics around Care Planning and its benefits, as well as a thorough description of the various documents considered Advance Care (this starts on page 11). THIS ARTICLE by the National Institute on Aging discusses a subset of Advance Care Planning, Healthcare Directives, in great detail. Additional resources can be found on these webpages, but Nurse Professionals Home Care can also provide some guidance with this topic.