End-of-Life Dialogue Matters

I joined several guest speakers, on July 8^th, at the Older Women’s League (OWL) Montgomery County Chapter meeting, exploring the topic “End-of-Life: Who Decides?”  The subject wasn’t an unfamiliar one, and I shared, with those gathered, my own experience with my family when my mother was ill and passing on, several years ago.  It’s extremely important that families and individuals have a plan, and I’ve found that the Living & Thriving in Montgomery County Guide for residents 60 and over is a very concise resource worth reading.

I additionally spoke about ‘Comfort Care,’ as family members sometimes discover that varying levels of resistance exists with regard to the provision of pain management in hospice versus hospital settings; and the discussion is not only important for parents but also among siblings and spouses.  My final contribution was to highlight the services available to Montgomery County residents through the Health and Human Services Aging and Disability Services office.

One of the more critical discussions held among the group was about the Advanced Directives form, the fact that there are several versions of the form (including its being available in multiple languages), and that it differs from a Living Will.  For more information on Advanced Directives visit http://www.oag.state.md.us/Healthpol/AdvanceDirectives.htm#know, and on Maryland’s Health Decisions Policy go to http://www.oag.state.md.us/Healthpol/index.htm.

The additional speakers included Donna Wagner, the national president of OWL; Paul Ballard, Assistant Attorney General (Counsel, Health Decisions Policy), State of Maryland; and Karen Northwood from the Montgomery County Coalition on End-of-Life.