At Alaska Natives conference, elders discuss POAs and health care directives
When Colleen Anagick was putting together a health care decision-makingworkshop, she enlisted her mother, Eva Merrifield, to talk about andprepare a living will and durable power of attorney. It was hard to talk about such complex issueswith a loved one, she told an audience of elders at the opening day ofthe Alaska Federation of Natives Elders and Youth Conference Monday inFairbanks. Anagick’s mother, who is healthy and active, wasn’t interested in conversation about terminal or end-of-life issues. “It was emotional,” said Anagick, a socialworker at the Alaska Native Medical Center, but necessary for hermother to make her own health care wishes known in advance for herfamily’s sake.“There are six kids in my family, and it would be a miracle if we allagreed on one thing at one time,” Anagick said. Before Monday’s 90-minute workshop ended, theaudience heard other personal stories that could have been lessstressful if some health care decisions had been made beforehand. Elders learned how to go about letting theirfamily, friends and health care providers know how they would like tobe cared for in the event of a serious illness or injury via a livingwill. They also were given information on how to choose health careproxies to make decisions for them if they were unable to do sothemselves via a durable power of attorney.
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