ALMH hosts National Healthcare Decisions Day open house April 16

[April 04, 2013]  Do you know which health care treatments you would and would not want if you could not speak for yourself? Do your loved ones or health care providers know your health care wishes? April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day. The day is to remind people, regardless of current health, of the importance of making their health care wishes known to loved ones and their care providers.

On April 16 from 7 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 4 p.m., the care management staff at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital is hosting a free open house in Steinfort A with information about advance directives. The staff will be available to answer questions, provide advance directives forms and assist with preparing the documents for appropriate parties, including physicians. Those who already have advance directives but have questions about changes or updates are also encouraged to attend.

Advance directives -- power of attorney for health care, living wills and physician orders for life-sustaining treatment, or POLST -- are written instructions about your future medical care. If you are over the age of 18, advance directives are important to you. They do not go into effect until you are no longer able to make decisions. Adults can benefit from thinking about what their health care choices would be if they were unable to speak for themselves.

"The simple act of creating an advance directive can end up being an incredible gift for loved ones in the event of an accident or severe illness," said Valerie Cooper, case management manager at ALMH.

No reservations are required for this event.

Free blood pressure screenings will also be available at the hospital on April 16 from 9 a.m. to noon.

ALMH, at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln, is a 25-bed critical-access hospital. For more information, visit www.almh.org.

[Text from file received from Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital]