How do you value your life?

SANDUSKY — According to the Pew Research Center, the U.S. has the second-highest number of centenarians, 108,000. Japan has the most, 146,000. As time passes, the projections are that the population of those who are age 100 and older will continue to get larger. If you are an older American who is motivated by the number of years you get to remain on this Earth, this is good news for you. If you are motivated by the quality of your life while you remain on this Earth, then you ought to become more knowledgeable about advanced directives and palliative care. The longer we live, the more likely it is that we will experience a health problem. The health problem that would not have incapacitated us as a young or middle-aged adult is more likely to have debilitating effects as an older person. As you ponder, do you want quality of life or quantity of life? This will help you decide the extent to which you want heroic measures to sustain your life when terminal or in a vegetative state. Do you want hospice care? Or do you want everything possible to sustain your life? What about palliative care: Do you know what this means? These are heavy issues that deserve time, thought and attention to truly understand, well enough to make an informed decision. What are advanced directives? Advanced directives are legal documents that all adults should understand. Advanced directives are living wills and health care power of attorney documents. Such documents give a person the power to make their wishes known in advance. It also gives instructions for the degree to which heroic measures to be used to keep one alive should a person become terminally ill or permanently unconscious. Some people think that their last will and testament will handle this matter for them. It will not. What is palliative care? Palliative care is defined by the Ohio Revised Code as specialized care for a patient of any age diagnosed with a serious or life-threatening illness provided at any stage of the illness by an interdisciplinary team in consultation with creative-treatment providers and intended to: • Relieve symptoms, stress and suffering from the illness • Improve the quality of life for the patient and the patient's family • Address physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs • Facilitate autonomy, access to information and medical decision-making Palliative care is different from hospice care in that palliative care can begin and still give the patient curative treatments. Want to go? From 1:30-3 p.m. on July 17, Serving Our Seniors is hosting a forum on this topic. It'll occur from the Erie County Office Building, 247 Columbus Ave., third floor, in downtown Sandusky. Titled Understanding Advance Directives and Palliative Care, speakers include: • Katie Crum, a registered and community nurse as well as an educator for Firelands Health • Melissa Fries, a registered nurse and clinical nurse leader director of case management at Firelands Health • Carlene Aldrich of Stein Hospice. People must RSVP by Friday. They can do so by calling the Serving Our Seniors reservation line, 419-502-0585, or by sending an email to mail@servingourseniors.org to reserve your seat. Be sure to leave your name and phone number. If the forum is canceled due to a lack of reservations, you will be notified by phone. Q&A Q: I am 75 and do not have dental insurance. I need dental care, but can't afford it. Can Serving Our Seniors help me? A: If you are an Erie County resident, yes, we can. We use the Erie County Health Department's dental clinic. Although it is not free, Serving Our Seniors pays the portion that older adults are unable to pay, him/herself. It is a partnership. Here is why we share the cost with the patient. The most recent census projections report that there are about 73,800 people who live in Erie County. From this number, 25.1% are ages 65 and older, roughly 18,500. It is estimated that there are about 5,900 residents aged 60 to 64 years old. By sharing this cost, together, we make it possible to offer affordable dental care to as many older adults, as possible, who otherwise could not afford to see a dentist. Serving Our Seniors works with the individual to share the cost so it does not cause the older adult financial hardship. For more information call Serving Our Seniors at 419-624-1856. Ask to speak with a senior advocate assistant.