March 31, 2022
Importance of End-of-Life Planning Discussed on this Week’s Under the Coverage Podcast
Having conversations around end-of-life planning is not easy and the paperwork that accompanies them doesn’t make it any easier. In this week’s episode, “The Dirt on Health Care Proxy and End of Life Conversations,” our guest shares her unique perspective on the importance of preparing for end-of-life – regardless of your age and state of health.
In the latest episode of “Under the Coverage,” Nova associate Teresa Vincent talks about the documents you’ll want to have on hand and why end-of-life conversations are vital to living. In addition to 12 years of experience in various aspects of health insurance, Vincent holds a master’s degree in health administration for which she completed award-winning research in end-of-life communication training for medical students. She has also spent time as a volunteer at her local Hospice.
“The thing that I've learned over the last 12 years is that we’re not having conversations about the reality of getting to the end of life and making sure that we are focusing on the quality at end of life as opposed to just the quantity of time that we get,” she said. “Grief is one of the worst things that we experience as humans. Loss is something that is very hard to navigate. But I think we make it harder because we don't talk about it and because we don't have good ways to prepare ourselves for it.”
Vincent covers various topics she recommends people consider and discuss with their loved ones and/or health care providers, including last celebration of life, what defines quality of life to an individual, what curative treatments or life-prolonging measures are acceptable, and the advance directive forms to have in place, such as health care proxy, power of attorney, and HIPAA authorization.
Stream this week’s episode for more insight and resources on this topic.
How to Listen
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Under the Coverage features people who spend their working days focused on health benefits and health care, sharing their insider tips on information they wish every health care consumer knew. Have an idea for a future episode or a question you’d like answered? Find Under the Coverage on Twitter @UndrTheCoverage or email podcast@novahealthcare.com.