Virginia Cancer Specialists recognizes the importance of talking with patients and families about their goals of care. Completing advance directives is an important task in ensuring that those that you love and trust are aware of your treatment preferences, should you be unable to make those decisions. Having a conversation about your goals of care and documenting this will guide your appointed decision maker in helping you receive that care that you need/prefer.
With the uncertainty of COVID-19, it is important to be prepared for any health care challenges and decisions we might face. The Conversation Project is a nationally known program that helps in starting the conversation about advance directives. The Conversation Project has developed a guide, “Being Prepared in the Time of COVID-19”, to help prepare those at risk for COVID-19 with developing advance directives. The guide highlights 3 important things to consider:
- Pick your person to be your health care decision maker
- Talk about what matters most to you
- Think about what you would want if you became seriously ill with COVID-19
https://theconversationproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tcpcovid19guide.pdf
For more information on National Healthcare Decisions Day and additional resources available from The Conversation Project: www.nhdd.org
The Virginia Cancer Specialists social workers are available to begin the conversation about advance directives and how to complete necessary forms. We can address issues such as how to choose a health care agent, how to talk to your doctor, and how to discuss this with family/friends. Tracy Tierney, MSW, LCSW can be reached at (703) 208-9383 or Tracy.Tierney@USOncology.com. Won Cho, BSW can be reached at (703) 208-9389 or Won.Cho@USOncology.com. Your oncologist and other team members can also refer you to our social work team.
