Senior Living April 29th 2014
I think most of us have realized that we won’t live
forever. But do your loved ones and health care providers know what kind of
care you want at the end of your life? Because according to the National
Institute on Aging “more than one out of four older Americans face questions
about medical treatment near the end of life but are not capable of making
those decisions.”
Two tools that you can use to express your wishes and
have better control over your care and treatment in medical situations when you
are unable to communicate are an Advance Directive and a POLST. I will give a
quick explanation of each but for more information, PK Swartz will discuss both
as well as organ and tissue donations at the Center’s next 11:00 Tuesday Lecture
on May 6th. Or you can go online by googling Oregon Advance
Directives or Oregon POLST.
The POLST and Advance Directive are not the same thing
but complement each other. Both are voluntary, and both give you control over
your advance care planning if you are unable to speak for yourself.
But there are several differences.
Advance Directive is recommended for anyone 18 and older;
is a legal document that goes into effect only if you are incapacitated and
unable to speak for yourself; and guides inpatient treatment decisions by
telling the health care team at the hospital what you generally want or don’t
want.
Advance Directive allows you to appoint a Health Care
Representative who can make decisions for you such as whether to withhold or
remove life support, food, or hydration.
But it does not guide Emergency Medical Personnel. And
should not be confused with a general Durable Power of Attorney, which is for
financial affairs, and does not include authority to make health care
decisions.
A POLST (Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment)
is not for everyone, but for persons with serious illness — at any age; is a
medical order completed with and signed by your health care professional to
assure you receive the care you want; and when it is made available, a POLST
guides actions by emergency medical personal and inpatient treatment decisions.
And since a POLST is a medical order, a copy is kept in your medical records so
it is easily located during an emergency.
In addition to helping you make decisions in advance to insure
you receive the treatment and care you want, another important benefit that you
should not be overlooked is an Advance Directive and POLST may take some of the
burden off of your loved ones during difficult medical situations.
The Center will hold its annual Rummage Sale on the third
weekend in June, but in the meantime the Center needs to make room to store all
the donated items - which means BAG SALE! The Center will be selling nice used clothing,
fabric and craft yarn by the bag on Saturday May 3rd from 9:00 to
2:00 in the downstairs of the Center.
During the month of May at the Center’s Tuesday Night
Music, there will be pie and ice cream for sale to satisfy your sweet tooth and
help support the Center. And on the 6th of May starting at the top
of the batting order is Andre and the Strawberry Mountain Band. And as regular
as the sun setting in the west, music starts at 7:00 and wraps up by 9:00. And
everyone is welcome.
The answer to last week’s “Remember When”
questions are two Gales: Gale Storm, star of My Little Margie and her own show; and Gale Gordon who played Principal
Osgood Conklin on Our Miss Brooks.
(And the winner of Saturday Breakfast is Nadine McCracken.)
This week how about one more “double your
pleasure” set of questions where the answers have something in common. Who was
the American actor and cultural icon born in 1933 and starred
in only three films including the 1955 movie Rebel without a Cause? And who was a country music singer born in
1928, recorded the hit “Big Bad John”, and hosted his own variety show from
1963- 66 that helped bring country music into the mainstream? For five free Quilt Raffle tickets, e-mail your answer to
mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788 or drop it off
in a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder with a pound of premium pork sausage.
Well, it has been another week trying to stay grounded while the wind
blows. Until we meet again, there comes a time when
you realize you no longer need to keep score.
“You’ll
never find a rainbow if you’re looking down.” Charlie Chaplin
Wednesday (30) Roasted Pork
and Gravy
Thursday (1) Spaghetti
with Meat Sauce
Friday (2) Lemon Pepper
White Fish
Monday (5) Salisbury
Steak
Tuesday (6) Meat Loaf
with Au-Gratin Potatoes
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