Why National Healthcare Decisions Day Matters for LGBTQ+ People
It’s National Healthcare Decisions Day! A day where folks are encouraged to think about their future and examine important end-of-life documents. Have you put your end-of-life decisions in writing? Do you have a living will? Do you have a health care power of attorney?
These questions are extremely important, especially for our community. In an emergency, would you and your partner be treated as a couple? While The White House has addressed equal visitation and medical decision-making rights for same-sex couples, there are still holes in the system that leave LGBTQ+ people open to discrimination.
If you don’t know where to start, our National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging has a number of excellent resources on their site. These include:
- Planning Tips for LGBTQ+ Individuals
- Creating End-of-Life Documents for Trans Individuals
- Guide to Senior Care: Medicare, Home Care and Assisted Living
Remember, just signing an advance directive may not be enough! A recent blog post from our Successful Aging program highlights an issue with advance directives — completing the documents may not provide enough protection! For the documents to be effective, treatment providers have to know of them, and what they say. Make sure you have a conversation with your loved ones and medical providers about your end-of-life documents to keep you protected.
