WEBVTT 00:00:00.300 --> 00:00:03.720 Welcome to the Light Keepers Podcast. I'm Clayton 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.280 Vandiver, your Light Keeper, with a show dedicated 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:09.179 to everyone who wants to get the most quality 00:00:09.179 --> 00:00:12.800 out of life that they can. My co -host, as always, 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:15.519 is Charlene, our very own licensed clinical social 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:18.820 worker certified in the state of Florida, who 00:00:18.820 --> 00:00:21.359 is going to be talking with us this week about 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:26.399 chronic, critical, and terminal. What they mean... 00:00:26.809 --> 00:00:30.010 and so much more on this edition of the Light 00:00:30.010 --> 00:01:01.289 Keepers Podcast. And before we start, as always, 00:01:01.350 --> 00:01:03.350 please leave your questions or comments below. 00:01:03.469 --> 00:01:06.890 We will answer them next week on our next edition, 00:01:07.170 --> 00:01:10.510 which airs every Wednesday evening at 7 p .m. 00:01:10.510 --> 00:01:13.189 Eastern. The Light Keepers podcast is an exclusive 00:01:13.189 --> 00:01:15.549 production of A Guiding Light, and we'll tell 00:01:15.549 --> 00:01:17.409 you more about A Guiding Light at the end of 00:01:17.409 --> 00:01:21.950 the podcast. Okay, so it determines your medical 00:01:21.950 --> 00:01:24.569 care and how the doctor and you, how that conversation 00:01:24.569 --> 00:01:29.459 is going to progress. What can you do in each 00:01:29.459 --> 00:01:32.359 of these states to give you, you know, our focus 00:01:32.359 --> 00:01:35.920 is always on the very best quality of life possible. 00:01:36.299 --> 00:01:39.620 And we don't focus on end of life. We don't focus 00:01:39.620 --> 00:01:45.409 on those issues. We focus on how you live. every 00:01:45.409 --> 00:01:48.909 moment leading to those eventualities, which 00:01:48.909 --> 00:01:52.069 we all face. So what do you do? The key thing 00:01:52.069 --> 00:01:54.549 that you want to do in all of those is you want 00:01:54.549 --> 00:01:59.890 to stop and assess how you define a good quality 00:01:59.890 --> 00:02:03.250 of life. Okay, how do you do that? Well, you 00:02:03.250 --> 00:02:05.689 look at the things that are important to you 00:02:05.689 --> 00:02:07.549 and you think of the things that you can't do 00:02:07.549 --> 00:02:10.590 without. And don't think of the obvious things. 00:02:10.669 --> 00:02:13.090 Of course, we all need oxygen. We all need to 00:02:13.090 --> 00:02:17.159 be able to breathe. But would you consider yourself 00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:19.939 to have a good quality of life if you couldn't 00:02:19.939 --> 00:02:22.960 get out of bed? Would you consider yourself to 00:02:22.960 --> 00:02:26.099 have a good quality of life if you weren't able 00:02:26.099 --> 00:02:30.020 to recognize anyone around you? So if you did 00:02:30.020 --> 00:02:33.060 not have the ability to be independent, if you 00:02:33.060 --> 00:02:35.340 could not take care of yourself, if you could 00:02:35.340 --> 00:02:39.479 not have that mental awareness, is that a quality 00:02:39.479 --> 00:02:41.860 of life that you would want your life prolonged 00:02:41.860 --> 00:02:46.080 in? Because if the answer is no, it's a good 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.020 time to start thinking about having that conversation 00:02:49.020 --> 00:02:51.639 with your family about what kind of medical treatment 00:02:51.639 --> 00:02:54.939 you would want if you reach a situation where 00:02:54.939 --> 00:02:58.620 you can no longer make your own decisions. Because 00:02:58.620 --> 00:03:02.360 that, again, is one of those factors that may 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:05.219 enter in once things become critical. Absolutely. 00:03:05.300 --> 00:03:08.800 And what some people don't realize, and this 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:12.520 is something that I've heard a lot, well, When 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:15.400 I get to that point, I'll decide what I'm going 00:03:15.400 --> 00:03:18.580 to do. No, you won't. You won't be able to decide. 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.840 Exactly. Exactly. And a lot of people don't realize 00:03:22.840 --> 00:03:26.500 that a situation can go from chronic to critical 00:03:26.500 --> 00:03:31.039 to terminal very quickly. That's a good thing 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:35.419 to keep in mind. And especially that I think 00:03:35.419 --> 00:03:38.919 most everyone puts themselves in their mind into 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:42.639 the situation that they're in right now. not 00:03:42.639 --> 00:03:46.120 really able to imagine that situation any different. 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:51.039 Correct. And it's really hard to put yourself 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:53.300 into the position, into the frame of mind that, 00:03:53.340 --> 00:03:57.599 okay, when I'm not able to think as I am able 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:00.780 to think right now, then I'm going to decide 00:04:00.780 --> 00:04:03.759 to do something different. No, you won't. You 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.219 won't be able to. You won't know you need to. 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:09.280 and probably one of the biggest things that i 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:12.939 have heard that makes me cringe every time is 00:04:12.939 --> 00:04:16.720 my family will know what i want or or my favorite 00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:22.600 one the doctors know what to do so if you leave 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:26.980 your care in the hands of doctors they are required 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:30.360 They are required by their Hippocratic Oath and 00:04:30.360 --> 00:04:33.500 by law to do everything possible to keep you 00:04:33.500 --> 00:04:36.519 alive for as long as possible, regardless of 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:39.420 whether or not you are in a quality of life that 00:04:39.420 --> 00:04:42.759 you find acceptable. And that's where that quality 00:04:42.759 --> 00:04:44.839 of life becomes important. And if you're not 00:04:44.839 --> 00:04:47.980 able to tell them what quality of life you feel 00:04:47.980 --> 00:04:50.660 is acceptable, then they make that decision for 00:04:50.660 --> 00:04:53.959 you, which is simply to maintain you. That could 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:59.160 be awful. That could mean living on a ventilator 00:04:59.160 --> 00:05:06.199 for years. Years. And if you're on a ventilator, 00:05:06.300 --> 00:05:10.500 guess what? Now you are hooked up to a machine. 00:05:11.169 --> 00:05:15.689 24 -7. You no longer have the tube going in your 00:05:15.689 --> 00:05:17.790 mouth and down your throat. Now you have a hole 00:05:17.790 --> 00:05:20.029 in your throat with a tube connected to it that's 00:05:20.029 --> 00:05:23.410 still connected to the machine that can't, most 00:05:23.410 --> 00:05:26.029 of the time, be maintained at home. So now you're 00:05:26.029 --> 00:05:29.889 in a facility 24 -7. Now if you're someone who 00:05:29.889 --> 00:05:32.730 wanted to live out your remaining days at home, 00:05:32.910 --> 00:05:37.899 not hooked up to machines, gone. potentially 00:05:37.899 --> 00:05:40.579 you didn't have any choice in that correct and 00:05:40.579 --> 00:05:43.560 one of the things that we most strongly advocate 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:47.060 for on this show is being able to live life on 00:05:47.060 --> 00:05:50.740 your own terms and part of that is informed decision 00:05:50.740 --> 00:05:53.699 making okay what is informed decision making 00:05:53.699 --> 00:05:55.899 in the little bit of time we have left informed 00:05:55.899 --> 00:05:58.740 decision making is basically where you have the 00:05:58.740 --> 00:06:01.720 information that you need to make the decision 00:06:02.410 --> 00:06:05.490 to get the care that you want to receive and 00:06:05.490 --> 00:06:09.490 not get the care that you don't. And that makes 00:06:09.490 --> 00:06:12.209 sense. So informed decision -making is having 00:06:12.209 --> 00:06:15.250 the right answers to the right questions. Correct. 00:06:15.629 --> 00:06:18.649 And knowing the questions. And being able to 00:06:18.649 --> 00:06:22.550 make good decisions for yourself when you're 00:06:22.550 --> 00:06:26.269 still able to, and being able to express those 00:06:26.269 --> 00:06:28.990 so that your doctors, your family, all of your 00:06:28.990 --> 00:06:32.269 caregivers... will know what your wishes are 00:06:32.269 --> 00:06:34.509 once you're no longer able to tell them. And 00:06:34.509 --> 00:06:36.970 it's not just about being able to guide your 00:06:36.970 --> 00:06:38.910 own care. It's taking that burden off of your 00:06:38.910 --> 00:06:41.410 family. I cannot tell you how many times I've 00:06:41.410 --> 00:06:44.529 been standing in the ICU with a family devastated 00:06:44.529 --> 00:06:47.149 over having to make the decision to take a loved 00:06:47.149 --> 00:06:49.529 one off life support, and they're wondering if 00:06:49.529 --> 00:06:51.470 they did the right thing because they didn't 00:06:51.470 --> 00:06:54.290 know what their loved one wanted. And you know 00:06:54.290 --> 00:06:57.670 what I can imagine? You say that your loved ones 00:06:57.670 --> 00:07:00.759 will know what your wishes are. and this one 00:07:00.759 --> 00:07:03.300 will know that your wishes are this this one 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:05.560 will know that your wishes are different from 00:07:05.560 --> 00:07:08.300 that and this one will know that there's an entirely 00:07:08.300 --> 00:07:11.500 different scenario that they think is what you 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:14.959 would want. Because everyone has a slightly different 00:07:14.959 --> 00:07:17.920 perception of every member of their family and 00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:20.740 what their wishes might be. Correct. And you 00:07:20.740 --> 00:07:23.079 and I both have seen situations where it's in 00:07:23.079 --> 00:07:25.160 writing. It's in black and white. And you've 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:27.759 still had siblings fight over the plan of care 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:30.379 because they interpreted it differently. And 00:07:30.379 --> 00:07:32.939 that's one of the most heartbreaking parts of 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:35.860 the entire equation because that divides families. 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:39.779 That hurts feelings that sometimes... are never 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:43.519 able to heal correct so if anything that we say 00:07:43.519 --> 00:07:48.300 on this show is able to help any family prevent 00:07:48.300 --> 00:07:52.100 that and and step away from all of that divisiveness 00:07:52.100 --> 00:07:56.519 then we've done something good absolutely well 00:07:57.439 --> 00:08:00.360 Of course, this is all a highly personal choice 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:02.500 and no conversation that we have on the Light 00:08:02.500 --> 00:08:05.000 Keepers podcast should ever take the place of 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:07.220 your own medical care team or other professional 00:08:07.220 --> 00:08:10.939 advisor who should always be consulted by you 00:08:10.939 --> 00:08:14.519 on your specific situational needs. And it's 00:08:14.519 --> 00:08:16.420 always good to be willing to talk about quality 00:08:16.420 --> 00:08:19.199 of life because every single one of us faces 00:08:19.199 --> 00:08:22.680 some of these issues some of the time. Either 00:08:22.680 --> 00:08:26.019 not prepared at all or very well prepared indeed. 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:29.560 for joining us here every Wednesday at 7 p .m. 00:08:29.560 --> 00:08:33.059 Eastern for the Light Keepers podcast. This is 00:08:33.059 --> 00:08:35.519 an exclusive production of Vanimation Studios 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:38.720 brought to you by A Guiding Light, 501c3 nonprofit 00:08:38.720 --> 00:08:43.039 organization dedicated to education and information 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:46.559 that allows informed preparation for living the 00:08:46.559 --> 00:08:50.100 very best life possible. 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And we're 00:09:42.500 --> 00:09:44.919 so grateful for your support and sincerely hope 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:47.200 you will join the conversation in coming weeks. 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:49.779 Add your questions and comments below. Speaking 00:09:49.779 --> 00:09:52.500 of that, hit the like and subscribe buttons. 00:09:52.600 --> 00:09:55.840 It's free. and turn on that notify bell so you'll 00:09:55.840 --> 00:09:58.940 catch every single episode. I'm Clayton Vandiver, 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:01.919 your Light Keeper. We'll see you next time.