Give Your Loved Ones the Gift of Advanced Care Planning
April 16th is National Healthcare Decision Day. The nationwide initiative encourages families to have the sometimes-difficult conversations that deal with a person's medical care if they cannot advocate for themselves. Advanced Care Planning (ACP) allows a caregiver to make healthcare decisions based on a patient's desires rather than guessing their wishes.
South Carolina House Calls (SCHC) takes a proactive approach to ACP and includes those conversations when new patients are initially seen and on an ongoing basis when conditions warrant. Social workers and Medical providers are excellent resources for helping patients understand the importance of documenting their wishes clearly in writing, thereby relieving family members' worry and anxiety.
There are good online resources as well for having conversations with family members like these from UCLA.org. The important thing is not to wait. SCHC encourages all South Carolina residents to use April 16th as a jumping-off point and commit to taking the steps required to put their wishes in writing. Once a document has been created, make sure caregivers are aware of its existence and have access to it if and when necessary.
SC House Calls is a network of nearly 300 medical professionals providing In-home medical house calls and Telehealth visits to Private Residences, Assisted Living Communities, and Skilled Nursing Facilities. SC House Calls serves all 46 Counties of South Carolina. New patient registration, appointments, and
24-7 access to medical professionals is available through its Center for Telehealth @ 800-491-0909
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