Robson Valley seniors learn about advance care planning
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Dozens of Robson Valley seniors gathered in the Valemount Community Hall on Tuesday, February 25th, to learn about resources for making an advance care plan – that is, a series of instructions for substitute decision makers if one becomes incapable of communicating their own healthcare preferences.
Hosted by the Valemount Elder Collaborative, along with support from Robson Valley Community Services, Northern Health, and the BC Association of Community Response Networks, speakers outlined what kinds of documents and processes are necessary to make sure medical professionals and family members can follow seniors’ preferences for medical care even if they are unable to communicate those preferences in the moment.
Presenters shared two documents with attendees: the My Voice Advance Care Planning Guide – a booklet created by the Ministry of Health that allows users to name substitute decision makers and list medical procedures they do not consent to – and the Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment form, more commonly called the MOST form. This form allows people to file a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order with their local health authority.
It’s important for these forms to be kept somewhere obvious in the home, said Valemount Community Paramedic Sean Carmen. He suggested leaving a copy of the MOST form in a plastic sleeve on the fridge, something he commonly encountered while working in the Fraser Valley.
“That’s one of the first things paramedics will go look for,” Carmen said. “If you’re in a condition where you’re incapacitated and not able to communicate properly with us, it gives us the instructions on how you wish to be treated and your wishes for further care. These are important documents to have at home and to keep updated as well for moving forward.”
McBride-based nurse Ashley Flavelle, who also presented at the event, agreed that keeping advanced care plans up-to-date is crucial. The MOST form requires a physician’s signature and is kept on file with the local healthcare centre, and patients can call to update the form once it is filed, she said.
Flavelle also introduced attendees to the My Voice booklet, which can be accessed online at https://tinyurl.com/yhvwf394.
“Planning for advance care is one of those things that we all need to talk about and we all need to think about,” she said. “[The booklet] is going to help you answer who you want to make decisions for you if you’re in a situation where you can’t.”
It’s important to have open discussions with substitute decision makers, and revisit your care plans about once a year, Flavelle added.
“In some situations, you get a little bit messy if you don’t have the right person making that choice,” she said. “That’s why it’s important to pick the person that will have your best interests in the moment and do the things that you want them to do.”
Former notary Linda Fry explained how the booklet can be approved without having to visit a notary or lawyer.
“If you do it without a notary or lawyer, you have to have two independent witnesses do signatures for you… If you go to a notary or a lawyer, they can draw these documents and witness your signature. They only need one witness,” Fry said. “This really gets you familiar with this paperwork. You can do it yourself, or you would have that information to speak to a lawyer or a notary.”
Saving an “arm and a leg”
Attendees appreciated the opportunity to learn about their legal options for free. Valemount resident Byron Bustin told The Goat he had previously been unaware that a lawyer is not necessary for making an advance care plan.
“Basically [we attended] so that we don’t have to pay lawyers $400 an hour,” Bustin said. “Reading through this [My Voice guide], it looks to me like we could have a representative that doesn’t have to be a lawyer. That caught my attention because it takes an arm and a leg [to pay] for a lawyer.”
McBride residents Pete and Irene Berndsen said they attended the event to learn about the options available to them.
“We’re jumping the gun at 71. How’s that for positive thinking?” Pete Berndsen joked. “It’s good to be informed, and we saw the presentation was available.”
The Berndsens said they feel fortunate to have access to healthcare in the Robson Valley.
“My mom, for example, is 91 in Winnipeg, [and] has to wait six hours in a lineup at a walk-in clinic to get attention,” Pete Berndsen said. “Here, you can walk in, Valemount is good and McBride is good as well. I got nothing but kudos to say.”
Valemount resident and member of the Valemount Elder Collaborative Kurien Thomas said the event was a good opportunity to get more information about advanced care planning to the public. After spending decades advocating for better healthcare access in rural Alberta and B.C., Thomas was pleased to see more public discussion of healthcare in the Robson Valley.
“We don’t know health status, how many cancer patients we have, how many heart patients we have, these kinds of different information [in the Valley],” Thomas said. “The thing is that autonomy, self-determination, these are parts of health.”
He added that when he lived in Alberta in the 1970s, the province did not yet have home care available for aging patients. While B.C. may have a long way to go in getting equitable access to health care between rural and urban areas, there have been improvements in the resources available to seniors, he said.
“[The presentation] is useful,” Thomas added. “About 80 people came here, from McBride and Valemount. It’s very nice that they came here.”
