| Death & Taxes: 2009 National Healthcare Decisions Day |
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For Immediate Release: April 13, 2009 New York, NY – Benjamin Franklin possessed a wise wit. He observed in a 1789 letter to French physicist Jean-Baptiste Leroy that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” National Healthcare Decisions Day (www.nhdd.org) is designed to be an annual reminder on the day after our taxes are due (April 16) to encourage anyone over age 18 to have advance directive documents properly filled out. There are two main forms of advance directives: a “health care proxy” identifies the person(s) selected to speak on your behalf if you are unable to make those wishes known during a medical emergency. A “living will” documents what kinds of medical treatments you would or would not want at the end of life. In New York State, once you are age 18 or older your family and friends are not officially allowed to make decisions for you if you are unable to do so, without the legal authority of an advance directive. This is why these documents are such important legal instruments. While older citizens often complete these documents during routine hospital admissions, it is important for young adults to also complete advance directives since an accident or other emergency can suddenly place them in a vulnerable state. Only about 29% of the population reports having a living will, so more education needs to occur. Many national groups are supporting National Healthcare Decisions Day, including the American Association of Retired Persons, the American Medical Association, the American Bar Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Association and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. To share information with your friends and family, please point them to DecideYourCare.Org (www.decideyourcare.org) or request literature from DYC.Org to give to them. Decide Your Care is a non-profit alliance of metro-NYC healthcare and community organizations promoting advance healthcare decision making. Its website features information about the U.S. Living Will Registry, which is a free service through the NY Legal Assistance Group to register and store advance directives, making them available 24 hours a day to health care providers nationwide. Nothing prevents the predictable certainty of taxes and the ultimate inevitability of death. Yet many professionals can use their trusted role in the lives of others to educate about the importance and peace of mind that advance directives offer to an individual and family. -###- Contact: |