EP 92 :: It is Never too Early to Start A Conversation About Your Future Medical Care :: Laura Pilati
Laura Pilati talks with Bobbi and Mike about the importance of starting a conversation with your loved ones about their future medical care wishes and then creating, and following, a care plan that everyone has agreed to.
In her role at Honoring Choices Virginia, Laura coordinates and guides the efforts of their partners and volunteers to better meet the ADVANCE CARE PLANNING needs of their community. HCV develops and provides inclusive, accessible educational resources and programming designed to support community members wherever they are in the planning process–whether learning about it for the first time or updating an existing plan.
Laura brings a deeply humanistic approach to her work and is a certified First Steps Advance Care Planning Facilitator and Instructor. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Mary Washington and a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Studies from the University of Richmond.
“The problem with waiting until you're in a crisis moment to make health care decisions is that emotions come up and unfortunately emotions are not always the best contributors…, to making decisions that are in line with what we would want,” Laura says. “Remember that what our loved one really wants and what you want sometimes can be very different.”
“As we get closer to the time when it becomes more and more a reality, I definitely want people to know what my wishes are,” Mike adds.
“If you leave with nothing else from me today, it is that everyone who currently has decision-making capacity should have an advance directive and that the forms are only as good as your ability to produce them in the moment that they are needed,” Laura says.
You can find out more about HCV on their website and follow them on Facebook.
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