Half of us will become unable to speak for ourselves in a future medical situation, yet only 23 percent of adults have written advance health care directives defining our health care wishes.
To help residents think ahead about documenting their health care wishes, My Care My Plan: Speak Up, Sonoma County will host a free advance care planning workshop, Who Will Speak for You If You Can't Speak for Yourself?, on Tuesday, January 16, 1:30–3:30 p.m., at the Redwood Credit Union Community Room, 3033 Cleveland Avenue, Santa Rosa. Register online at MyCareMyPlanSonoma.org under Events, by phone at (707) 565-5950 or by email to aasecretary@schsd.org.
“A medical crisis can happen any time that might leave us unable to speak for ourselves,” says Dorothy Foster, MFT and co-chair of My Care My Plan: Speak Up, Sonoma County. “That means that friends and family would need to make difficult choices for us. Having the conversation about your wishes is a gift to loved ones faced with that situation.”
The workshop will be led by Foster and Gary Johanson, MD, Medical Director, Memorial Hospice and Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital Medical Director of Palliative Care Services. Attendees consider the type of care they’d want in a health crisis, and how to make their wishes known through thoughtful advance care planning and clear, written, advance health care directives. Presenters will also offer ideas for how to talk with family, loved ones, and health care providers about advance care plans and wishes.
My Care, My Plan: Speak Up, Sonoma County’s (MyCareMyPlanSonoma.org) vision is for every adult in the county to become educated and empowered to express his/her wishes about end-of-life care, that they have the opportunity to do so, and to have their wishes honored in a medical crisis. It is an initiative of the Committee for Healthcare Improvement and Sonoma County Health Action, which mobilize community partnerships and resources to achieve equity and improve health for all in Sonoma County. MCMP is a collaborative of organizations and individuals from the private, public, nonprofit, and volunteer sectors, including local health care and social service organizations and other community partners.