Having “The Talk” about End-of-Life Care

What if you were involved in an accident, or had a catastrophic health event where you could no longer speak for yourself? Who would make your health care choices? Would they even know what you would want?

To help families eliminate this heart-wrenching process, Adena Health System’s Palliative Care Team will host “The Talk,” a free seminar to empower families to initiate end-of-life health care decisions. The two-hour program will be held on Thursday, August 31 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Carlisle Building, located at 9 South Paint Street, Chillicothe.

This community program is the result of conversations among many families, who when faced with making tough family medical choices simply did not know what their loved ones would have wanted. The program is intended to serve as a starting point to get these often difficult conversations started.

“We want to stimulate the thought process of what you would want if something like this happened, and you were in a situation where your family had to make decisions for you,” said Dr. Richard Greeno of Adena’s Palliative Care Department. “By having a discussion about your wishes with your family now, you immediately take the burden off of them to have to decide, and maybe second guess your wishes.”