Pictured are members and presenters at RWJUH Hamilton’s Better Health Advanced Care Planning program at RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center in Hamilton, NJ.
Hamilton Township, NJ, June 19, 2023– The Better Health Program at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, hosted a free informational program for local area seniors to learn and ask questions about “advanced care planning.” Advance care planning involves preparing for future decisions about your medical treatment if you become seriously ill or unable to communicate your wishes.
“The event was very important,” says attendee and Better Health Program member, Connie S. “Most people aren’t aware about advance care planning. I worked in an attorney’s office for almost 30 years so I knew some information already, but I still learned a lot. It’s nice to go over everything with a doctor.”
Sara Ali, MD, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group, RWJUH Hamilton Medical Advisory Panel Member, and Ted Taylor, Director of Chaplaincy & Volunteer Resources, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, presented and facilitated the program. They covered topics such as naming a health care representative or proxy, writing care preferences into a living will, and completing a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) document with a health care provider. “Speaking with your primary care provider or a geriatrician, can help patients with advance care planning which involves communicating values, goals, and preferences about what kind of medical care you would like to receive if the patient becomes ill,” says Sara Ali, MD, Geriatric Medicine, RWJBarnabas Health Medical Group.
Taylor said, “Advanced care directives and ongoing conversations with loved ones and medical providers like Dr. Ali can help give dignity to the last years of a person’s life. As we age, it becomes increasingly important to consider our goals in life and how our health and medical care align with these goals. Advance care planning is one way to make sure we get the care we need—no more and no less.”
This program is one of many offered throughout the year by the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton Better Health Program, a complimentary membership program for people ages 65+ that integrates health, wellness, and education into welcoming and friendly activities, classes, group events, and support services that engage the mind, encouragement movement, and promote reflection.
The Better Health Program is sponsored by the James and Sharon Maida Geriatrics Institute and is located at the RWJ Fitness & Wellness Center at 3100 Quakerbridge Road in Hamilton, NJ.
Become a Better Health Program member today! Visit rwjbh.org/BetterHealth to learn more and register or email bhprogram@rwjbh.org or call 609-584-5900.
Visit rwjbh.org/Hamiltonprograms to view the calendar of programs online only.
Learn more about Advance Directives
Contact: Sherry Smith, Director, Public Relations & Marketing
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton
Direct: 609-584-6583 / Email: sherry.smith2@@rwjbh.org