The deadly COVID-19 crisis is heightening awareness of mortality among many of us, not just those who are elderly. Now is the time to make or update our health-care plans for the end of life. Such planning requires completing an advance directive and appointing a medical decision-maker (health-care proxy) to help health-care providers honor our wishes for end-of-life care if we cannot speak for ourselves.
Given the harsh reality that millions of people have lost their jobs since this pandemic started, and countless others have seen their income plummet, many people cannot afford to hire a professional to help them with end-of-life care planning.
Fortunately, Compassion & Choices, a nonprofit, end-of-life care advocacy organization, has a free online COVID-19 toolkit available in English at CompassionAndChoices.org and in Spanish at CompassionAndChoices.org/informacion-del-covid-19. Free online webinars also are available to help people understand the variety of matters that concern their end-of-life care options: CompassionAndChoices.org/webinarseries.
People will find this resource very helpful.
Catherine Marienau
Co-chair, Oak Park/Western Suburbs Action Team
