Talk to the older adults in your life

The older you get, the more likely you will need health insurance, but not all health insurance provides ample protection for when you can no longer make decisions. A day has been set aside for discovering those options. April 16 happens to be known as National Healthcare Decisions Day.

According to The Conversation Project, “National Healthcare Decisions Day exists to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers about the importance of advance care planning.”

“Nathan Kottkamp, McGuireWoods LLP, founded National Healthcare Decisions Day,” according to National Day Calendar. The goal of the day is to make sure that adults, especially those who are parents and grandparents, have voiced their wishes regarding healthcare, so that providers and facilities can respect those wishes.

National Healthcare Decision Day “brings a variety of players in the larger healthcare, legal, and religious community together to work on a common project, to the benefit of patients, families, and providers”(Kindful Hospice.com). Churches, synagogues, and mosques around the country support the effort by highlighting the importance of advance care planning with their congregations

Planning for the future can protect families, but sometimes it is hard to take those first steps because they involve recognizing mortality. National Healthcare Decision Day gives people a chance to focus on that elusive day when they may not be able to make those important decisions. As a teen, you can help encourage your parents or grandparents to lay the foundation necessary to have their future wishes respected. During this pandemic, it is best to address those concerns as soon as possible, and teens can be influential in getting the adults in their lives to make these important healthcare decisions.