Our patients and their families have very personal hopes and
goals for their lives. Respecting your wishes is very important to us at
Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC). As part of our commitment to patient
focused care, we will discuss advance care planning with you upon admission, so
our health care professionals have a clear understanding of your wishes.
Advance care planning is the process of thinking about,
talking about, and documenting your wishes for health care should something
happen and health interventions are required. Many of us think health care
planning is what we do when we are near the end of our lives. However, life-changing
events can happen in an instant. In order to be fully prepared, we are asking
you to take the time to document your wishes.
Establishing your aims
for care, which we refer to as Goals of Care, ensures you and your health care
team are striving for the same outcomes in accordance your values and health aims.
It also ensures the health care team is not providing unwanted treatment or
therapies.
If you are admitted to the hospital, your Goals of Care will
be determined in conjunction with your most responsible care provider. The
Goals of Care include three categories that provide different amounts or levels
of care for a patient while in hospital: resuscitative care, medical care and
comfort care. These designations cover things like the “do not resuscitate”
orders and/or the option to be admitted to our Intensive Care Unit, or make an
informed decision about organ and tissue donation, for example.
Your Goals of Care designation clarifies treatment
priorities and becomes a permanent part of your medical record so the
information is readily available to all care providers at the bedside. Should
your situation and/or wishes change, you can revise your Goals of Care at any
time in conjunction with your most responsible care provider.
At MAHC, we are proud to support a culture that ensures
patient centered decision-making and respects the wishes and values identified
in these crucial conversations.
