Life Enhancements

I should know better than to write "I'll do better tomorrow!" at the bottom of a journal entry, referring to catching up on comments, as I did on yesterday's blip...

This morning passed in a blur, followed by an appointment downtown, and then a most welcome visit from tookie, who was up in Bellingham for 36 hours. We marveled at having major falls on the same day (September 28); talked about families, friends, and our childhoods in the same part of Ohio; future trips; and much, much more. She brought me the cheerful yellow flowers you see in today's blip, and most important, her optimistic outlook on life.

This evening Phil and I went to a free community education session offered by two nurses from the intensive care unit at our local hospital. "Make Your Wishes Known: The Realities of Advanced Medical Interventions" was an eye-opening look at CPR, mechanical ventilators, dialysis, medicines to support blood pressure, feeding tubes, tracheostomies, and more, explained clearly and with "real life" examples from their nursing practice.

They stressed how important it is to choose a Health Care Agent (also known as Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care) -- the person you want to make health care decisions for you if you cannot speak for yourself -- and the end of life care that you want, or don't want, stated clearly in a written plan called Advance Directives. This plan would then be shared with your family and doctors.

Some of the information above is from the website for the Whatcom Alliance for Health Advancement, which offers a number of free or low-cost services and educational workshops to our community. We're fortunate to have this wonderful resource, and now must make sure that these aspects of "death prep," as Phil and I call it, are finalized and shared with our families and friends. 

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