People urged to make advance healthcare plans

FORWARD THINKING: Preparing for end-of-life care with a thought-out plan can save families and people a lot of stress and heartache, the health advocacy group said

• By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

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The public should make an advance healthcare directive and discuss it with their family or significant others, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) yesterday said.

Echoing World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, observed on the second Saturday of October annually, the Ministry of Health and Welfare-affiliated Taiwan Organ Sharing Registry and Patient Autonomy Promotion Center yesterday held a charity run at Daan Forest Park in Taipei to help raise public awareness.

This year’s theme was “Advance directives: Let’s make an agreement first,” supporting a peaceful and dignified end of life. Alongside making an advance directive, people are encouraged to tell family or significant others the plan ahead of time.

The logo of the Ministry of Health and Welfare is seen displayed in an undated photograph.

Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times

The center’s chief executive officer, Fan Hsiu-lung (樊修龍), said that, as a doctor, he has seen many patients’ families bearing the burden of making medical decisions for their loved ones, as well as the hope for a second chance at life of those waiting for organ transplants.

“Advance care planning is not only an act of self-love that honors one’s own dignity, but also an act of love and consideration for one’s family, and a commitment to the greater love for life itself,” he said.

Chuang, who is also center chairperson, said a survey by the center found that almost 78.8 percent of respondents agreed that talking about end-of-life issues is important, and 79.8 percent believed people should decide their own path during their terminal stages of life.

However, while 82.7 percent did not want their family to bear the stress of making important medical decisions for them and 79.4 percent said they were willing to discuss their end-of-life arrangements with their family, 51.8 percent said they had not actually discussed it with their family or significant others, he said.

The survey showed that 46.8 percent thought advance directives meant denying all treatment, Chuang said, adding that an end-of-life plan is not about giving up.

Through advance planning, people can talk with their family and medical team about their wishes while they are still conscious and capable of making decisions, he said, adding that the advance directive can be withdrawn or adjusted at any time even after signing.

Having experienced severe illness, Chuang said he came to realize that he should discuss his healthcare preferences with his family while he still had his faculties, so that they know what he wants and provide the medical team with clear guidance in the future.

He and his wife signed advance directives before he took up the post as head of the center last month, he said, adding that taking charge of these decisions in advance is a way of being responsible to oneself, and it offers comfort to their family.