{"id":80582,"date":"2025-03-21T10:07:22","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T16:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=80582"},"modified":"2025-03-25T09:46:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T15:46:48","slug":"someone-to-lean-on-the-vital-role-of-advance-directives-for-medical-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/someone-to-lean-on-the-vital-role-of-advance-directives-for-medical-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"Someone to lean on: The importance of having advance directives for medical decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"Angelica
Angelica Allison (left) prepared her advance directives more than two years ago with the assistance of the Aspen Club in Fort Collins. She is pictured with her oldest daughter, Yendri Traugutt. Photo by Ana Gretchen Robleto, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Angelica Allison\u2019s grandmother was about to pass away, she shared her deepest fear with her granddaughter: Who would take care of her three children with disabilities and special health care needs when she no longer could?<\/p>\n

Angelica, who had been raised by her grandmother, reassured her that all would be well.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to worry about that. As long as I\u2019m alive, I\u2019ll do everything in power to take care of them,\u201d Angelica said.<\/p>\n

More than 20 years have passed since then, and Angelica has kept her promise.<\/p>\n

Two of Angelica\u2019s uncles, whom she considered brothers, have since passed away. Another uncle, Santiago, 64, lived in Costa Rica but dreamed of visiting the U.S.<\/p>\n

Angelica calls him Santi, and he recently came to Fort Collins, where Angelica has lived for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

It was during his visit that Angelica and Santi decided to visit with experts at the Aspen Club<\/a>, a UCHealth organization that advocates for health in northern Colorado.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1989, the Aspen Club offers programs and services to help people ages 50 and older live healthily and independently. \u00a0Aspen Club educators encourage people to stay physically active. They also offer educational services including support on how to create advance directives for health care.<\/a><\/p>\n

Aspen Club serves people in Larimer and Weld counties and has more than 13,300 members.<\/p>\n

Aspen Club also partners with UCHealth Longs Peak Hospital<\/a> in Longmont to provide programs for older adults.<\/p>\n

For older adults, having advance directives is critical. As challenging as it is to think in advance about accidents or death, people need to convey their wishes to loved ones. A vital part of that planning is deciding who will make medical decisions on your behalf if you\u2019re unable to make decisions for yourself.<\/p>\n

Bilingual assistance for Spanish speakers who need help with advance directives for health care<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Angelica
Angelica and her uncle Santiago during his visit to Fort Collins. Photo by Ana Gretchen Robleto, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For people who need support in Spanish \u2014 like Santi \u2014 the Aspen Club offers bilingual assistance during in-person appointments or by telephone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very worried that if something happened to Santi while he was here in the United States, things were not going to be good for him or for me,\u201d Angelica said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Kat Laws, an Aspen Club community health educator, stepped up to help Angelica and Santi.<\/p>\n

Angelica had created her own advance directive documents two years earlier, but she hadn\u2019t been able to set up any documents for Santi.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got an interpreter because Santi only speaks Spanish,\u201d Angelica said.<\/p>\n

It felt great for Angelica to get everything in order for Santi and to live up to her promise to always take care of him.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore that, I didn\u2019t have anything in order,\u201d she said. \u201cKat was excellent. We had a very good experience with the Aspen Club.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Kat\u2019s support we did everything, and Santi was very happy. I explained that it was just in case something happened to him,\u201d Angelica said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Aspen Club has a really good process, and I will be eternally grateful. On top of that, it\u2019s free. We didn\u2019t have to pay anything for their help,\u201d Angelica said.<\/p>\n

Language barriers don\u2019t need to be a barrier. Help is available in Spanish<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Angelica encourages others to seek free help and prepare their advance directives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have learned that it is important to have everything ready. You never know what could happen. Being prepared and having a plan of action is crucial in anyone\u2019s life,\u201d Angelica said.<\/p>\n

While many people delay the process of \u201cgetting everything ready,\u201d Angelica said language barriers can also be an obstacle. But they don\u2019t need to be.<\/p>\n

Angelica wants others to know that great help is available for people who speak Spanish.<\/p>\n

Laws said she loves supporting older adults and giving them guidance in both English and Spanish, with the help of UCHealth\u2019s translation team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have Spanish versions of all of our UCHealth advance directive documents,\u201d Laws said. \u201cThere are a variety of tools available, and part of our job is to find which tool fits the patient\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cPatients share their values \u200b\u200band preferences. In this case, that\u2019s what we did. Medical interpreters provide assistance in Spanish to explain the content of the documents and clarify questions,\u201d Laws said.<\/p>\n

Community partnerships <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Along with connecting with UCHealth patients, Aspen Club health educators also have formed alliances with community groups like The Family Center\/La Familia<\/a>, a family resource center serving people in northern Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201dWe want to reach out to groups of Spanish-speaking older adults,\u201d Laws said. \u201cWe bring in interpreters. We rely heavily on our partnerships to foster community engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

JoAnn Herkenhoff, UCHealth\u2019s community health improvement manager in northern Colorado region, said that the Aspen Club creates stronger communities for all residents in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddressing the whole person really impacts their health, longevity and independence,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have nurtured a relationship of trust with communities we serve. We couldn\u2019t do what we do without our community partnerships. We have more than 200,\u201d Herkenhoff said.<\/p>\n

Qualities of a responsible person<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Angelica agrees with Herkenhoff that trust is vital, especially when people are dealing with tough decisions and must confront difficult topics like disabilities and death.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen completing advance directives, it is important to have a deep understanding of the person. People need to be kind and caring and understanding of the needs of others. When you have someone in your care or someone you are helping, you need to be aware of what is going on in their personal life,\u201d Angelica said.<\/p>\n

\"Aracely
Aracely Newman. Photo by Ana Gretchen Robleto, UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aracely Newman is a community worker in Fort Collins who has been friends with Angelica for over six years. Newman recognizes qualities in Angelica that make her well suited to make responsible medical decisions in the context of advance directives.<\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018Angelica is very human-centered. She is always concerned about others and how she can help. She is a great person, and in all this time, I have witnessed how she supports others and how she does such a good job at work, in her family and with her friends., She is a person who is always there, who always gives everything for that person who needs her help,\u2019\u2019 said Newman, who met Angelica when they worked together on community service activities.<\/p>\n

As an experienced community worker, Newman strongly encourages people to follow Angelica\u2019s lead and prepare documents like advance directives.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to have someone close to you who you can count on and plan for what could happen,\u201d Newman said. \u201cThat helps everyone a lot, because the family also suffers when there is an illness with a loved one. Prepare yourself and identify who you can count on for a particular situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caring for caregivers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Stepping up to help with medical, legal and caregiving responsibilities \u2014 as Angelica has done with her family and community members \u2014 requires a great deal of physical and emotional energy.<\/p>\n

Angelica knows that in order to take good care of other people, she needs to make sure she\u2019s also taking good care of herself.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s Christian and always asks God for help and guidance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pray and meditate a lot. I also try to go for walks, and when I need to, I get a massage from time to time to recharge. I love nature and I love plants, that is because my mother taught me to love plants. So, I like to have plants around me, and I love taking care of them. That makes me happy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Angelica
Angelica Allison and her daughter Yendri Traugutt having a conversation in American Sign Language. Photo by Ana Gretchen Robleto, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Advice for having tough conversations about advance directives decisions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It is important to discuss advance directives with a person whom you trust and to establish a plan early.<\/p>\n

How to get started:<\/p>\n