February Director's Corner
Planning Ahead
Life turns on a dime. Today you may be fine wih plans for the future, and tomorrow you may have an accident that renders you unable to speak for yourself. It makes sense to prepare for the worst while expecting the best. Planning can be simple and free.
Health Care Proxy is a form whereby you name another person to make decisions for you in the event that you lack the ability to make health decisions yourself. A Health Care Proxy does not require a lawyer. There is a simple document (AFC has some) by which you name any adult of your choosing to be your proxy. The signatures must be witnessed by two adults who also sign the form. Once you have this form, make sure that your doctor and loved ones know about it. It is "invoked" only if a doctor delcares in writing that you are not able to make your own health care decisions, for example, if you are in a coma.
Living Will also does not require legal advice. A Living Will is a statement of your wishes regarding medical intervention and artificial life support. For example, you may state that you do not wish to have aggressive measures to prolong your life in the event that you have an irreversible condition that would result in death in a relative short period of time. You may state preferences for pain relief or treatment of infections. The document may be simple or complex. My advice is to keep it simple and trust your loved ones and doctors to interpret your meaning. There are too many possibilities to cover them all.
Guardianship is a whole other circumstance. Obtaining legal guardianship requires a doctor to say that the "ward" needs a guardian, and then a judge must rule and declare guardianship in effect. Guardianship is a major step and usually undertaken when a person is permanently mentally incapacitated. Guardianship also affects all areas of life, not just medical issues. There are simple documents available for Health Care Proxies and Living Wills. Adult Foster Care will make these available to you. The documents that we will hand out are legally accepted in Massachusetts. There are other forms that are obtainable online. You may amend the forms to suit your wishes.
If you sign a form such as these, the most important thing is that people know it exists. Do not lock it away. Give it to your loved ones and health care people.
January Director's Corner
Osteoperosis
Osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) is a silent disease. You don't know you have it until soemthing happens, and then it is often too late. Have you ever seen an old person walking bent over? That's osteoporosis. The spinal bones lose height, you get shorter, and, at that stage, there's not much you can do to reverse it.
Women are affected more than men, and thin people are also more at risk.
Bones peak at about age 30. After that, unless we give them plenty of calcium, they start to thin out. Vitamin D is necessary for the calcium to be absorbed into the bones. We get Vitamin D from sunlight (absorbed through the skin) or from some foods.
Here's what you can do to prevent osteoporosis:
- Calcium: Good sources of calcium are milk (a cup of milk has about 200 milligrams of calcium), other dairy products, leafy vegetables and calcium supplements
- Vitamin D: If you get 300 - 800 units of Vitamin D daily, your bones will thank you. You can get a bottle of 400 pills (each with 600 milligrams of calcium and 800 units of Vitamin D) at CVS for $17.49. And sometimes they run a "two for the price of one" special! One of those pills a day forever will do a lot for your bones.
- Exercise: Weight bearing exercise (e.g. walking) is great for the bones. Bones are living structures that respond to need (i.e. weight bearing) by absorbing more nutrients to stay strong. Think of ways to walk more. Use the stairs not the elevator. Park further from the front door at the market. Walk for 10 good minutes a day.
We are living longer than ever. Our bones need some help to adapt to this extra long life.
