National Healthcare Decisions Day this week is aimed at increasing the number of Americans who have completed an advance directive, naming someone to make medical decisions for them in the event they can’t speak for themselves. SSM Health Greater Fond du Lac Advance Care Planning medical social worker Deb Toth says the COVID-19 pandemic brought greater awareness to the need for making a “living will.” Toth says advance directives are important for anyone over 18, even though that’s probably the last thing a young adult wants to be thinking about. Experts say only about 20-30 percent of Americans have completed an advance directive. But Toth says it’s a discussion that should take place in the living room, not in the hospital waiting room when it may be too late.
