How to Prepare for a Health Care Emergency

As cold and flu season looms while COVID-19 lingers, it’s more important than ever to make sure your health care wishes are known if you have an illness or emergency and can’t speak for yourself. Given the overlap of COVID-19 and influenza, what better time is there to prepare than now? Whether you’re 18 or 108, none of us know when an emergency will arise and should be prepared ahead of time.

A great way to prepare for health care emergencies is by completing an advance care plan.

Advance care planning gives you the opportunity to understand your health care options, communicate your wishes and values, and make sure they are known. This is especially important if you are unable to speak for yourself due to a serious illness or emergency. Although these discussions can be difficult, they are critical.

Without advance care planning, loved ones and health care providers may make decisions that don’t reflect your values and you could receive unwanted treatment or not receive the health care you want.

Voice Your Choice, a program of Nexus Montgomery led by JSSA, helps individuals through the advance care planning process every step of the way, making the overall process quite simple. Voice Your Choice provides all the tools and resources needed to think about, and list, health care wishes – ensuring they are met in an emergency by being easily accessible to health care providers.

For more information about advance care planning and completing an advance care plan, please visit VoiceYourChoice.org.