National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD), April 16 each year, educates and empowers the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.

It is extremely important that adults 18 years of age and older (married/partnered, single, someone who has adult children or adult relatives to rely on and those who do not) have these documents in place! People often think of these documents as needing to be in place as part of one’s estate plan, but the reality is, they are critical to have in place today and every day going forward.

I spend my professional life helping clients navigate the complexities of our healthcare system. Not only do I work with clients one on one, but I also offer educational talks on a variety of topics such as being your own best advocate, compiling a “go plan” in case of emergency, how to organize all your important documents, etc.

On the morning of November 6, 2021, I had the opportunity to use many key points and suggestions I offer in many of my talks.

Technological innovations impact every aspect of our lives and access to them has been invaluable while we navigate life during a pandemic. People all along the age continuum have learned to incorporate new technological resources into their daily lives

Making decisions about one’s healthcare was complex prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with the healthcare system facing a variety of challenges, knowing what reliable resources there are to assist in making informed decisions can feel confusing during uncertain times. It is understandable to have questions about your healthcare concerns in the short term and long term. In this post, I explore questions I’ve received from clients and community members and identify some reliable resources to aid in informed decision making.