While many people have thought about what they want or don’t want at the end-of-life, only about 30% have put their treatment wishes down on paper in an advance directive.  More importantly, they have not had conversations with their loved ones or friends about their goals for end-of-life care.  Althea will offer tips on choosing an effective healthcare surrogate who will honor treatment wishes. She will review end-of-life choices, including palliative sedation, hospice, medical aid-in-dying. There will be a discussion of patients’ legal and medical rights, including recent “wrongful prolongation of life” cases against medical personnel who fail to follow an advance directive or legal surrogate. All are welcome.

Althea Halchuck, EJD, CT, BCPA, founder of Ending Well! Patient Advocacy, LLC, is a Board-Certified Patient Advocate, professional medical power-of-attorney, and end-of-life Doula.  She has extensive expertise and service to patients and families with over 20 years of experience advocating for the vulnerable and dying.  She has focused much of her life and career on assisting those facing the end of life’s journey through death education, planning, legacy projects, and counseling.