When Plans Aren't Accessible
A personal loss taught a painful lesson: having advance care plans isn't enough—they must be visible and accessible when first responders arrive.
Opening Reflections
This update doesn’t have a happy ending. In fact, most of what I’m about to share is cautionary, and it may not be what you want to read right now. But I feel I must. If you’d rather wait until our next gathering, know that Meg will be facilitating our meeting on Monday so that I can step away for my own self-care.
On Saturday, my father-in-law passed away unexpectedly. While the loss itself is painful, the true heartbreak lies in what my mother-in-law experienced. Both she and my father-in-law were nurses, both had advance care plans, neatly printed and stored in their home office. Yet when the EMTs arrived after his heart attack, she couldn’t find the paperwork. She had to watch them attempt to revive him, knowing that wasn’t what he wanted, simply because the documents weren’t where the first responders could see them.
Topics Discussed
Making Plans Visible
Place advance care documents where EMTs will actually look—on the refrigerator, near emergency notes, or anywhere clearly visible.
1 min readWhat Happens When 911 Is Called
Things I wish someone had told me sooner about what first responders must do when someone passes outside of a hospital.
1 min readIn Closing
I hope none of you ever face what my mother-in-law endured. Please, take this week as a reminder: make the plans, print the paperwork, and put it where it matters most.
With care, Meg & Candice