By Susan Nelson, MDOn Thursday, Nov. 21, the Louisiana Physician Orders for
Scope of Treatment (LaPOST) Coalition will present Conversations Change Lives, a
special, complimentary event at which the Greater Lafayette region will be
declared ‘LaPOST Ready.’ This event will culminate the second of the LaPOST
Ready campaigns, which are designed to increase awareness of, and to provide
education about, advance care planning and the LaPOST document to
health care professionals, faith-based organizations, social workers and
caregivers in targeted areas of Louisiana.
The LaPOST Coalition created and implemented these campaigns
to share the message about the importance of advance care planning and the
value of sharing end-of-life care goals and treatment preferences with loved
ones. According to the Pew Research Center, 71 percent of Americans have
thought about what they do and do not want at the end of life, and while 95
percent of Americans know what an advance directive, or ‘living will,’ is, only
29 percent actually have one. The LaPOST Coalition seeks to improve these numbers
by providing patients and families, health care professionals, social workers,
spiritual leaders and caregivers with information about advance care planning
tools in Louisiana.
However, the fact is, advance care planning involves much
more than simply deciding what treatments are and are not wanted at the end of
life. The process starts with identifying personal care goals, clarifying
personal beliefs and values and sharing these preferences with loved ones and
health care providers.
Thus, as part of the LaPOST Ready campaign efforts, the
LaPOST Coalition and the Louisiana Health Care Quality Forum developed the Conversations
Change Lives Toolkit for patients and families. This toolkit includes many wonderful
resources for patients and loved ones, including the Conversations Change Lives Guidebook, guides to advance care
planning and medical treatments, the LaPOST
Consumer Handbook, frequently asked questions, fact sheets and even a
PowerPoint presentation that explains the usage of the LaPOST document. This
toolkit, as well as a video about LaPOST, is available for free download on theLaPOST website.
As the LaPOST Coalition continues its education
and outreach efforts across the state, it welcomes patients, caregivers, health
care professionals, faith-based organizations and others who wish to help
further the message about advance care planning to become LaPOST champions. To
find information about upcoming LaPOST Ready campaigns, educational
opportunities, special events and how to get involved in outreach efforts,
visit the LaPOST Events page
often, sign up for the Quality
Forum’s monthly eNews or contact Cynthia Michael at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
