On Valentine’s Day, consider the gift of peace of mind
Advance care planning, which includes creating an advance directive or living will, is a process that defines your goals and wishes as they relate to health care. An advance care plan will require answering important questions about your desired quality of life, who you’d like to serve as your health care surrogate and more. An advance care plan provides vital information to clinicians and loved ones if you are unable to communicate for yourself.
“Conversations about end-of-life care can be sad, difficult or uncomfortable, but these are important and necessary conversations to have and—ultimately—the people that benefit the most from having an advance care plan are the people you love,” says Brian Duke, system director of senior services at Main Line Health. “An advance care plan ensures that you get the medical care you want should you become unable to speak for yourself, and it relieves your family and friends of the burden of guessing what your wishes are.”
Main Line Health’s ‘Your Life. Your Way.’ advance care planning kit aims to make discussions around advance care planning easier to have. This free kit is available for download online, and can help guide conversations between you and your loved ones about the critical decisions involved in end-of-life care.
Ready to talk about advance care planning? We can help you start the conversation. Download one—or all four!—of our Valentine’s Day cards (PDF) to help you let your loved ones know that advance care planning is an important and meaningful gift for you. Visit our advance care planning web page or call 484.580.1234 to receive your free Advance Care Planning Kit.
Main Line Health serves patients at hospitals and health centers throughout the western suburbs of Philadelphia. To schedule an appointment with a specialist at Main Line Health, call 1.866.CALL.MLH (225.5654) or use our secure online appointment request form.
About Main Line Health
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the Philadelphia region and beyond. Main Line Health consists of five hospitals, six health centers and over 150 medical practice locations. The System has more than 14,000 employees and over 2,100 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
At its core are four of the region's most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as one of the nation's premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. Main Line Health also includes Mirmont Treatment Center for drug and alcohol recovery; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, providing skilled home healthcare, hospice and home infusion services; Main Line Health Centers, primary and specialty care, lab and radiology and other outpatient services located in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square; and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a biomedical research organization.
Main Line Health's medical staff benefits from a collaborative relationship including independent physicians, community healthcare professionals and hospital-based experts from Main Line HealthCare, the employed multi-specialty physician network of Main Line Health.
Main Line Health collaborates with top experts to deliver exceptional specialty care. Through our affiliation with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, doctors and advanced practice providers care for pediatric patients at select Main Line Health locations, including the neonatal intensive care units at Main Line Health's four acute care hospitals, as well as Bryn Mawr Hospital's Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care, and trauma surgeons provide critical care to our patients. Through our affiliation with Sheppard Pratt — a nonprofit provider of mental health services, substance use, developmental disability and other comprehensive behavioral health support — patients receive compassionate care in a welcoming environment.
For more information, visit mainlinehealth.org and connect with us on social media:
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