Every year on April 16th, hospitals, hospice providers, and healthcare professionals take time to educate people about advance directives through National Healthcare Decisions Day.

Advance directives includes documents such as power of attorney or living wills, and outline how a person would like their healthcare to be handled in the event they are not able to make the decisions themselves. Hospice of Central Iowa (HCI) Care Services Team Director Abi Kincade says even healthy adults should have advance directives, because one can never predict when tragedy may strike. She adds, while having advance directives is a smart thing to do, it’s also important to communicate.

“That’s the big thing for us, is to make sure whoever it is you’re designating, that you’re having those conversations about what you would or would not want. So that way when the time comes for them to make those decisions, they know. And that takes the burden off of them to try to decide whether this is something you would or would not want, because you’ve had that conversation.”

People interested in getting forms can pick up free advance care planning packets from HCI Care Services’ local offices at the Dallas County Hospital in Perry. Kincade says they can also mail packets to people if they call 515-465-4705. For more information, listen to next Wednesday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.