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24 | THE COLONY NEWS | JULY 2023 | Health & More TECH TALK Wednesday, July 12, 9 to 10 am. Need help with The Colony Box Office? Do you have questions about your cellphone or tablet? Come to the Meeting Room the second Wednesday of each month and we will help you. There is no cost to attend and no need to RSVP. CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP ursday, July 13, 10 am in the Lounge. This support group, presented by Kristi Necochea, is designed to help educate and support those who are caring for a loved one with any ailment. We meet the second Thursday of each month. HEARING AID CHECK ursday, July 20, 9 to 10:30 am. This free service is provided by Johnson & Johnson every third Thursday of the month in the Clubhouse Card Room. By Leslee B. Cochrane, MD, Executive Medical Director – Hospice of the Valleys We plan for graduations and weddings, we plan for retirement and we love to plan for vacations, but most of us don't consider the importance of planning when it comes to medical decision making. Have you ever considered what types of medical treatments you'd want (or not want) if you suffered a sudden and unexpected medical emergency? If you're over the age of 55 or have parents who are, then you should have a discussion regarding who you'd want to make medical treatment decisions if you're unable to do so. As a physician who routinely works with families in unanticipated medical emergencies, I can assure you that having a plan will provide tremendous peace of mind should an emergency occur. Several years ago, I received a call from my dad that he was being admitted to the Cleveland Clinic and would require an unexpected open-heart surgery. With little warning, my family was facing some stressful medical decisions. Not knowing what to expect, I caught the next available flight to Cleveland. You can imagine my relief when I arrived at the hospital and found my dad sitting up in bed and cracking jokes with his nurse. We spent the next day discussing the treatment options and asking his doctors many questions about the surgery including the risks, benefits and expected results. During this process, one of the nurses asked my dad if he had an advance directive or a durable power of attorney for healthcare decision-making (DPOA-HC). The DPOA-HC is someone you select to make medical decisions on your behalf, in the event you are unable to do so. We were fortunate to have enough time to discuss these important medical decisions, before his surgery the next morning. Fortunately, in our case, the surgery went well and my dad had an uneventful recovery during which time he was able to communicate all of his own decisions. I strongly encourage everyone to take the time to complete an advance health care directive and select a durable power of attorney for health care. The best time to have this discussion is when you're well and long before you're facing a medical emergency. There are many forms available to use which you can find at: https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/media/ProbateCode AdvanceHealthCareDirectiveForm-fillable.pdf. The form comes with easy to follow instructions and enables you to select a DPOA- HC, as well as make important medical decisions regarding life support, organ donation and pain control. For more information on advance health care directives see the state of California website: http://oag.ca.gov/consumers/general/adv_hc_dir A NOTE FROM THE DOCTOR Expect the Unexpected: e Importance of Advanced Health Care Directives ursday, Aug. 24, 10 am to 12 pm in the Auditorium. Attendees will be provided with information as to how they can deter, detect and defend themselves from Identity Theft/ Fraud. The workshop will include topics such as how identity theft occurs, the reporting process, agencies to contact, minimizing your risk and other valuable tips. The Panel of professionals include: Sandy Morales, Senior Medicare Patrol; Shirley De Santiago, Riverside County DPSS, CARE (Curtailing Abuse Related to the Elderly) Team; Michael Stainecker, Riverside County Fraud Dept.; Maureen DuMouchel, Riverside County DA Office; Facilitator, Gloria J. Sanchez, Advocate for Seniors and Seniors with Disabilities. SCAM AWARENESS