Ending Life Well: Conversations & Connections
Introducing the New Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry Wishes Registered are Wishes Honored
Health Current, a Contexture (contexture.org) organization, is the new home for the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry (AzHDR) after 2019 legislation granted the transition of the registry from the Secretary of State’s office to Health Current to improve healthcare provider access to advance directives. Health Current is Arizona’s health information exchange (HIE) that helps partners transform care by bringing together communities and information across the state. In 2019, Arizona Senate Bill 1352 was passed giving participating healthcare providers the ability to have real-time access to patients’ wishes – when they need it most. The AzHDR is designed to help honor patients’ end-of-life healthcare wishes by providing seamless access to advance directives, documents that outline a person’s healthcare preferences, across the continuum of care. The new secure online AzHDR is free to Arizona residents and provides a safe place to store and make accessible Arizonans’ advance directive documents, so end-of-life care will be guided by one’s wishes. It’s never too late to discuss your end-of-life care decisions with your loved ones, healthcare providers and caregivers, and document them in advance care planning forms. Then be sure to register your advance directives in the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry to ensure your wishes are honored. To learn more about the AzHDR, visit azhdr.org. A wealth of other advance care planning resources can be found there as well.
By McKenna Reinhard , PCOA End of Life Specialist CPR: What you Need to Know
If you have looked at end of life planning documents, you’ve likely seen questions regarding CPR. And if you’re a fan of medical shows you may have based your decision off what you see there. But how accurately is CPR represented in media, and is it giving you the information to make an informed decision? CPR is an emergency procedure that is used when someone’s heart or lungs stop. The origins of CPR can be traced back as early as the 1500’s, although the study of it and development of techniques really started in the 1700’s. Since then, more time and research has been invested into the study of CPR to determine best practices. CPR may include chest compressions, artificial respirations, and/or defibrillation. According to the U of A Center on Aging, when considering if you want CPR, it’s important to think about the potential outcomes which may include failure of CPR to resuscitate you, resuscitation with subsequent death in the hospital, or resuscitation with survival to discharge (with or without neurological deficits). Another factor is to consider is survival rates; advance age, preexisting chronic organ disease, and/or poor functional status are associated with decreased survival rates. It may be helpful to talk to your primary care provider to discuss risks, benefits, and potential complications in your unique situation. Our goal is not to overstate benefits or the risks of CPR, but to provide complete picture so you can make the best decision for your situation. If you have thought about your wishes but haven’t documented them or aren’t sure where to start, you can call 520-790-7262 to get in touch with our End of Life team and they can provide guidance and support to complete those documents.
Page 26 | February 2022, Never Too Late
Pima Council on Aging
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