OHA State Advocacy Center

End of Life Care and Advance Directives

Living Wills and Advance Directives Week 2008
OHA is again joining with the Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and other organizations to designate October 12-18 as Living Wills and Advance Directives Week, Living Today, Planning for Tomorrow. Ohio hospitals and other organizations are asked to participate in the week by hosting educational events and distributing information to employees and members of the community. Hospitals and others should take the opportunity to educate Ohioans about advance directives—particularly living wills, health care powers of attorney—and to aid them in completing these documents.

Other state and local organizations, both public and private, are invited to join in the effort to educate individuals regarding the importance of advance directives. Interested organizations should contact OHA or the Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization for more information, but they are also welcome to independently champion the week in ways appropriate to their missions.

More information about Living Today, Planning for Tomorrow: Living Wills and Advance Directives Week 2008 coming soon.

April 16, 2008: National Healthcare Decisions Day
Hospitals and the medical community held various events during National Healthcare Decisions Day April 16, in an effort to help the public understand and use advance directives to make end-of-life healthcare decisions known. While hospitals and others work to educate their communities every day, this one-day initiative promoted a focused outreach to health care workers, community groups and others. Visit www.nationalhealthcaredecisionsday.org for more information.

2007 Living Wills & Advance Directives Week
Gov. Ted Strickland declared Oct. 14-20, 2007, Living Wills and Advanced Directives Week.
See Gov. Strickland's resolution

OHA joined with the Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and other organizations listed below in 2007 to promote Living Wills and Advance Directives Week:

The Advocate Of Not-For-Profit Services For Older Ohioans (AOPHA)
Cleveland Eye Bank
LifeBanc
LifeCenter Organ Donor Network
Life Connection of Ohio
Lifeline of Ohio
Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses
Ohio Attorney General's Office
Ohio Chapter, American College of Emergency Physicians
Ohio Council for Home Care
Ohio Health Care Association/Ohio Centers for Assisted Living
Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Ohio Nurses Association
Ohio Organization of Nurse Executives
Ohio Osteopathic Association
Ohio Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy
Ohio State Bar Association
Ohio State Bar Foundation
Ohio State Medical Association
Sisters of Mercy Regional Community of Cincinnati
Society of Ohio Healthcare Attorneys

2007 Resource Kit
Sample news release
Sample flier
Sign-in form
Suggested program format
Living Today, Planning for Tomorrow PowerPoint, courtesy of the Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Frequently asked questions courtesy of the Ohio State Bar Association
Feedback evaluation form

Advance Directives
A revised advance directives packet, Advance Directives Packet: Choices, Living Well at the End of Life, to help patients and their families make end-of-life decisions is available from the Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. The packet includes new forms used to create a Living Will or Health Care Durable Power of Attorney, or to designate organ or tissue donation.
Download the packet* to distribute at your facility.
Download the forms*
Order additional hard copies*

Old versions of the forms also available in Spanish (EN ESPANOL)
Updated versions will be posted as soon as they are available.
Power of Attorney (PODER DE CUIDADO DE SALUD DE)*
Living Will Declaration (DECLARATION DE TESTAMENTO ED VIDA AVISO AL DECLARANTE)*

Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Rules
DNR rules were originally issued by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) in the mid 1990s. In 2005, a task force initiated by the Ohio Hospice and Palliative Care Organization found that many providers do not understand the current DNR rules or are using them inappropriately, and that the current rules do not always ensure patient-centered end of life care. The task force is open to all organizations and currently consists of representatives from diverse providers and associations. ODH works with the task force to ensure DNR rules address problems that have been identified with the current rules. Despite posting two different drafts of proposed changes to DNR rules, a task force meeting in February 2008 determined rule revisions should be deferred until legislation is enacted that permits use in Ohio of a portable medical order form similar to what is described at www.polst.org. Current DNR rules are posted on the ODH Web site.

Hospital Requirements
The federal Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990 requires hospitals serving Medicaid patients to provide a brochure, "You Have the Right," created by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, to patients upon admission. It also requires hospital staff to ask if the patient has an advance directive.
► View a copy of the ODJFS brochure "You Have the Right" (updated 02/05)
► Order additional copies (use form number 8095)

Resources
Light the Way: Don't Leave Your Loved Ones in the Dark
A campaign of the Ohio State Bar Foundation's Fellows Class of 2002 to tell Ohioans how important it is to plan for health care decisions before a crisis.

Ohio Hospice & Palliative Care Organization
Information and downloadable forms on the several types of advance directives available in Ohio, including the living will, health care power of attorney, Ohio's do-not-resuscitate law and organ and tissue donation.

Put It In Writing

An American Hospital Association Web resource in Spanish and English providing hospitals and consumers information on advance directives.

Ohio Organ Breakthrough Initiative

A collaborative effort of OHA and the state's four Organ Procurement Organizations to increase the number of eligible organ donors and number of organs donated.

Education in palliative and End-of-Life Care for Oncology CD-ROM AND DVD

The National Cancer Institute has published a free palliative-care training program for health professionals caring for cancer patients. To order, visit the Web site above or call NCI's Cancer Information Service at 800.4.CANCER.

Contacts
Rick Sites, General Counsel and Senior Director of Health Policy
ricks@ohanet.org

Jean Scholz, Director, Health Policy
jeans@ohanet.org

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