Residents attend workshop on difficult, but important topic
Spiritual care director urges preplanning for death
By Carissa Marsh Special to the Acorn

No one likes to talk about it. Death, that is. But the subject poses questions that, eventually, everyone must face: How do I want to die? On what terms do I want to go?

Those questions are ones that many avoid answering.

"You see, in Southern California, we're immortal," joked Ron Hyrchuk, spiritual care director for Simi Valley Hospital, during Monday's presentation on advanced directives at the Simi Valley Senior Center.

Hyrchuk stressed the importance of being prepared for death.

"This dying thing is going to happen to all of us at some time," he said, speaking to an audience of about 30 seniors. "So if we're going to get on that bus, we want those that are important to us to know what we want to pack- what we want to take with us- and the circumstances in which we are ready to get on to it."

This is where an advanced healthcare directive comes in. According to Hyrchuk, an advanced directive "describes the course of medical treatment you wish to have followed should certain circumstances arise and you lose the capacity to communicate your wishes." It also includes designating a power of attorney for healthcare, he said.

For Hyrchuk, it all comes down to communication. "It's a way to communicate with those that are taking care of you what you want done," he said. "It's not good enough if you have some legal document and you've written it down some place. You need to communicate that to your loved ones so they know what's going on."

While completing an advanced directive ensures one's wishes will be followed, it also keeps family members from guessing about critical medical decisions during a time of emotional turmoil.

Things to consider before completing an advanced directive include which medical treatments one does or does not want; whether one would prefer to be in a hospital, nursing home or at home during their last days; and if one would like to donate their organs.

About one-third of the seniors in attendance said they'd already completed advanced directives. As a registered nurse for more than 40 years, attendee Annette Haag, 65, knows the importance of having an advanced directive.

"They say what you put in writing is immortal, and they say if you didn't document it, it never happened," said Haag, who was thankful her parents had advanced directives. "So you have to give somebody some direction on what to do."

Designating an agent is a crucial step in the process, but many of the seniors in the audience expressed confusion over whom to choose.

Attendee Mary Ann Cralley, 75, has yet to fill out her advanced directive for that very reason.

"I've gone forward with all the other legal things that need to be done, like a will and a legal trust. But I didn't do the health part of it," Cralley said.

Like others in the audience, Cralley said she doesn't want to place that responsibility on a family member or her children.

While most in attendance said they wouldn't want to be maintained on life support, real-life variables make the decision less cut and dry.

"It's difficult to pin it down and write the specific instructions that communicate exactly what you want under every circumstance," Hyrchuk said. "It's important to have somebody who understands what your wishes are . . . and can bring together your present circumstances with your wishes."

A sample advanced directive form can be found on the attorney general's website, ag.ca.gov/consumers/general/adv_hc_dir.htm.