EAST ARCADIA — Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Healing Thoughts Foundation will host a free Begin the Conversation workshop at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Bladen Community College East Arcadia Campus, 1472 East Arcadia Road in Riegelwood.
This workshop is free to everyone in all stages of life, and will provide attendees information and resources to think about and plan for future healthcare decisions.
“At any time in your life, you may be unable to communicate your healthcare choices as a result of an injury or serious illness. Having a plan will make it easier for you, your doctor, and your loved ones to ensure your wishes are honored,” said Lisa Clark, LCFH community outreach coordinator for Bladen and Columbus counties. “The first step in the end-of-life healthcare planning process is to learn what you can about it. This will not only increase your own personal knowledge about healthcare choices and importance of planning, it will also encourage communication with loved ones, caregivers, and healthcare professionals so all can share in that knowledge.”
The goal of a Begin the Conversation workshop is to help attendees have peace of mind that their wishes are known and their loved ones have the gift of prior planning. Attendees will receive specific strategies for initiating conversations that can significantly reduce family stress and improve quality of care. Advance directives, such as Living Wills and Healthcare Power of Attorney forms, will be supplied so healthcare instructions can be legally documented.
For more information, contact LIsa Clark at 620-2264 or lisa.clark@lcfh.org; or Briana Brewington, Healing Thoughts Foundation, at 910-616-8413.
Healing Thoughts Foundation is a community organization whose mission is to help ease burdens and difficulties faced by families of people suffering from chronic illnesses, while creating a healthy, well-informed community. It seeks to provide support and understanding to those in need, whether suffering from illness, loss of a loved one or the underprivileged.
Lower Cape Fear Hospice is a nonprofit agency that provides healthcare and comfort to people with advanced illnesses; support and counseling to families; and education to the community in Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender counties in North Carolina, and Horry County in South Carolina. For more information, visit www.lcfh.org or facebook.com/lcfhospice.
Begin the Conversation is a public education program to encourage people to identify and communicate healthcare choices. For more information, visit www.begintheconversation.org or facebook.com/begintheconversation.