| April 16th is National Healthcare Decisions Day On April 16th of every year, people around the country come together to raise awareness about the importance of advance care planning and to encourage individuals to make their health care wishes known in advance. National Healthcare Decisions Day is a day dedicated to empowering you to make informed health care decisions for yourself and your loved ones. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has excellent resources for Veterans, caregivers, and family members for advance care planning. Visit VA's Making Decisions: Advance Care Planning website for more information. Here are a few things you should know about advance care planning: - Advance care planning is the process of thinking about and communicating your health care wishes in advance of a medical crisis. It involves talking with the important people in your life about your values, goals, and preferences for care. As a caregiver, you can help the Veteran you provide care for navigate this process by encouraging them to think about their health care wishes and helping them document their preferences.
- One of the most important roles you can play as a caregiver is to help your Veteran make informed health care decisions. You can also help your loved one communicate their health care wishes to their VA health care providers and ensure that those wishes are respected.
Advance care planning is an ongoing process. It's important to revisit the health care wishes of both you and your Veteran regularly and update the advance directive as needed. Let today, National Healthcare Decisions Day, be the day to start the conversation about advance care planning and begin to make decisions with your Veteran. Sincerely,
Your Caregiver Support Team | | | Need help? Reach out to your CSP team Every VA facility has a CSP team that provides support and referrals to services. They provide valuable information about resources that can help you stay informed and supported as you care for your Veteran. Reach out to your CSP team to learn about more resources and events in your local area. | | | |
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