Let's Talk Natick

is a community initiative encouraging Natick residents 18 and older to talk with one another about aging, mortality, and their personal values for quality of life - throughout life. Let’s Talk Natick provides resources and support to ensure individuals prepare the necessary documents that will support their wishes in the event of a medical emergency in which they cannot speak for themselves.

Talk

to those that mean the most to you, as well as your medical providers. Let them know your wishes and intentions for care – especially in the event of a medical emergency. Talk with the person you feel would be best equipped to be your voice (proxy) for health care decisions if you were to be incapacitated by an illness or injury.

Unsure how to begin that conversation? Try one of The Conversation Project’s Conversation Starter Kits!

Prepare

your Health Care Proxy (HCP) Form to legally designate your representative. Be sure to provide any advance instructions you would like to make known in the event you are not able to speak for yourself. A Living Will is an additional document you can create to provide details of care you would/would not want, as well as the things that matter most to you. Honoring Choices of Massachusetts is an excellent resource for advance care planning documents and advocacy.

Share

your wishes and plans with those that matter most to you! Let them know where your advance care plan documents can be found – after all, they can only help if they can be located in a time of need. Consider sharing a copy with your HCP, Physicians, closest family/friends, attorney, hospital Medical Records, Smart911, and anyone else you feel should know your wishes and preferences in the event of a Medical Emergency.

For more information, resources, or to schedule a time to talk with Let’s Talk Natick’s Program Coordinator & Social Worker, please e-mail Lindsay Quillen, LCSW at lquillen@natickma.org

Support for this Natick Council on Aging initiative provided by the Leonard Morse Grants Panel of the MetroWest Health Foundation