HONORING A BELOVED CLIENT’S CHOICES

Recently, we lost a beloved client of five years.

We provided support and guidance through many phases of his later years of life, including multiple health complications.  The value of our support was never more apparent than when we worked with him to address healthcare planning.  We cared deeply about making sure that his wishes were met and each completed healthcare document played a role in making sure this was possible. According to Rita Finegan, the client’s Care Manager, the Honoring Choices Personal Directive document was specifically helpful because it guided the client’s thought process and helped him to analyze what he really wanted for himself.  He thought about what he wanted while he was still alive and fighting a terminal cancer diagnosis and he thought about what he wanted for his services when he passed – the funeral he would have, the clergy who would preside over the funeral, and where he wanted his remains to go.   He was given a voice he didn’t even realize he had.

When these documents needed to be utilized because he was no longer able to make decisions on his own behalf, we were able to act immediately with his Agent.  Having these documents decreased anxiety and increased clarity, a rare gift for a client and his loved ones experiencing a medical crisis.

Honoring Choices has given us, as a professional Care Management practice, the encouragement and tools we need to spread the mission of healthcare planning for all.  Honoring Choices has made our Care Managers’ jobs easier and has given our clients a resource and guide many of them wouldn’t have known about otherwise.

Simply put, it feels very humbling to know that because of Honoring Choices, our client had his choices honored until the very end.  Our goal is to make this a reality for every client – a powerful, worthwhile mission.

Written by Jen Kulig, Manager of Client Relations, Overlook CARE, Honoring Choices Community Partner