The sad
reality is that most of the friction and confusion that occurs when people are
gravely ill or dying occurs because people have not documented their
end-of-life wishes in a legally binding way. Raymond Village Community
Church (RVCC), located at 27 Main Street, is holding an End of Life/Advance
Directives workshop from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23 to help
change that in the Lakes Region.
The
program will be facilitated by Rev. Nancy Foran, RVCC’s Pastor and both a
Certified Advanced Care Planner and Certified Adult Family and Elder Mediator.
It will also be co-facilitated by Marie Guerin, a trained hospice volunteer.
Pastor
Foran and Ms. Guerin have first-hand experience with the stress, anxiety, and
emotional pain people experience navigating through end-of-life issues in the
modern health care system. “It breaks my heart every time I see the suffering
people experience when they don’t really know what their loved one wants or
discover that the health care system is making those decisions for them.”, said
Rev. Foran. “This is especially sad when all it takes to be in control is
a properly-written Advanced Directive.”
“Advance
directives” are legal documents that allow you to plan and make your own
end-of- life wishes known in the event that you are unable to communicate.
Advance directives consist of (1) a living will and (2) a medical (healthcare)
power of attorney. A living will describes your wishes regarding medical care.
With a medical power of attorney, you can appoint a person to make healthcare
decisions for you in case you are unable to speak for yourself.
“We
encourage adults of all ages to attend because anyone can suffer a serious
accident or illness at any time.”, said Ms. Guerin. “Just like insurance,
it is so important to have these documents in place before a crisis
occurs.” Even people who already have Advanced Directives are encouraged
to attend this workshop, because these documents should be regularly reviewed
and updated to reflect current wishes and desires.
The
workshop will explain the meaning of a variety of terms, how to choose health
care agents, and strategies for talking about advanced care planning with loved
ones. The workshop will use the “Five Wishes” program as a model. It
is a complete system to address advance care planning, is written in everyday
language, and has been confirmed as legally-binding in the State of
Maine. The information provided in the workshop will help attendees work
better with any type of advanced directive.
Admission
is free, and light refreshments will be served.
RVCC:
Small Church, BIG Heart!
Raymond
Village Community Church is a United Church of Christ congregation. It is
a diverse faith community embracing tolerance, committed to building community
in the Lakes Region, devoted to missions and outreach, singing joyfully, and
welcoming all people no matter where they are on their faith journey. For
more information about RVCC, contact Rev. Nancy Foran, Pastor, at 655-7749 or nancy1@maine.rr.com
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