Last Sunday was National Health Care Decisions Day, and Hospice of Central Iowa (HCI) Care Services used it as a way to educate the public about advance directives and some of the myths surrounding them.

HCI Care Services Team Director Abi Kincade says one myth is that advance directives are only for elderly or people with terminal illnesses.

“I think the most common (myth) is, ‘I don’t need it, because I’m a healthy adult. I might be younger, so I don’t need advance directives.’ But that’s simply not the case. Tragedy happens all the time. We never know when we’re going to find ourselves in an unexpected situation where we might need an advance directive.”

Another myth involving advance directives is that people need a lawyer to complete them. Kincade says HCI Care Services social workers can help people fill out things like power of attorney or living wills. One last common myth Kincade debunked was that when a person designates a health care proxy, they lose control of their own care. In actuality, advance directives only go into effect when a person loses the capacity to make their own decisions.

To hear more about advance directives, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.