MVH to hold educational session
Monongahela Valley Hospital (MVH) announces an educational session on advance directives. “An advance directive is a written document such as a living will or health care power of attorney under state law and relating to the provision of care when an individual is incapacitated,” said Renee Hurley, patient representative at MVH.
A living will is a voluntary written declaration stating the desire of an individual to initiate, continue, withhold or withdraw certain life-sustaining treatments in the event the person becomes incapacitated and is determined to be in a terminal condition or permanently unconscious.
A patient always has the right to decide whether or not to accept, reject or discontinue medical treatment and care. There may come a time though, when the patient has the inability to make their own decisions and cannot make his or her requests known to a physician or medical caregiver. This issue can be addressed through Advance Directives.
“In a living will, the patient can describe the kind of treatment they want or do not want in the event of a medical situation,” states Hurley. A living will does not give the right to another individual to make medical decisions for the patient.
Another common advance directive is health care power of attorney. Hurley says health care power of attorney is a signed, dated and witnessed document in which an individual names a person (surrogate) to make specified medical decisions if the person becomes unable to make his or her own decisions regarding medical care or the carrying out of provisions of a living will. Usually health care power of attorney is more useful than a living will.
In Pennsylvania, to make a living will or chose a health care power of attorney an individual must be 18 years of age, or is a high school graduate or has married.
On Thursday, MVH will offer an educational session on advance directives. This class will include a discussion and question and answer session. Andrew C. Allison, director of emergency medicine at MVH, the Rev. Dr. G.M. Hickok, professor at a local university who teaches death and dying, and Hurley will lead the discussion. They will also be available for questions. Hospital representatives and notaries will be on hand to assist in completing advance directive documents. The session will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Anthony M. Lombardi Education Conference Center.
The educational class is free and open to the public. You must be 18 years old to attend. Registration is requested.
For more information, call Hurley at 724-258-1076.