This week marked National Health Care Decisions Day — a time when medical professionals encourage people to think seriously about creating an advance directive. Because the truth is, the unexpected can happen at any time. Planning ahead can make a difficult moment much easier for you and your loved ones.
“I think people deserve to have options, choices and a say in what the rest of their life looks like,” said Heather Belnap-Gunn, PA-C.
Belnap-Gunn is a physician assistant specializing in palliative care at Intermountain Health. That means she works with patients who have serious — sometimes terminal — illnesses. A former primary care provider, she finds purpose in her current role by helping patients identify what’s most meaningful to them.
“It’s nice to just say, ‘I don’t know — what matters to you?’” she said. “And yeah, maybe that means you can eat what you want. Tell me what matters, and we’ll form a plan.”
That plan, she says, should always include an advance directive.
“An advance directive is a legal document, but you don’t need a lawyer to complete one. It’s actually extraordinarily simple,” Belnap-Gunn said.
In fact, she believes every adult should have one.
“We don’t know when something might happen that leaves us unable to speak for ourselves,” she said.
An advance directive allows you to spell out your preferences for care. You can request that all possible measures be taken to keep you alive, or you may choose to set limits based on your quality of life and likelihood of recovery. While those details are important, Belnap-Gunn said the most essential part is naming a medical power of attorney — someone who can make medical decisions on your behalf if you’re unable to.
It’s also a meaningful way to open up conversations that might not otherwise happen.
“Usually, by the time we’re done, people say, ‘I’m glad we talked about this,’” she said. “It gets the conversation going.”
Belnap-Gunn frames it this way: the goal is to keep you in the driver’s seat when it comes to your health — and to make sure your family is informed, too.
“I think it’s important that all the family members know so they’re not surprised or unsure about why certain decisions are being made,” she said.
While some may feel uncomfortable thinking about these topics, Belnap-Gunn encourages people to see it as a way to create peace and prevent trauma.
“All too often, patients tell me, ‘I wish we had this when Dad was going through it,’ or, ‘Why did we do all that with Dad? That’s not how we wanted things to end,’” she said.
If you don’t already have an advance directive, your doctor’s office can likely provide a copy.
Intermountain Health also offers free, one-hour virtual workshops to help people get started with advance care planning. The next session is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29. To register, visit the Advance Care Planning page at intermountainhealth.org.
You can also download advance directive forms for Utah here.
