During National Healthcare Decisions Day on Thursday, experts feel New Yorkers must consider end-of-life care options.
The 2022 America’s Health Rankings show around a quarter of the state’s Medicaid decedents used hospice, far lower than the national average. This could change after New York became the 12th state to approve a medical-aid-in-dying law.
Joél Simone, founder of the Multicultural Death and Grief Care Academy, said advance planning for funeral and burial services can also be helpful.
“It offers autonomy,” she said. “It gives individuals and families the power to make the decisions, so their lives are celebrated in the way they choose.”
She said making these decisions early can help families afford funerals and burials, which have ballooned in cost. Experts have noted one of the most common mistakes people make in health-care planning is completing an advanced directive and not telling anyone.
As important as end-of-life planning can be, minorities face added barriers to ensure their last wishes are made known. Compassion and Choices data finds marginalized communities are less likely to have advance directives or use hospice care.
Simone said these barriers stem from a lack of cultural competency among medical professionals.
“There are barriers as far as practitioners being able to relate or communicate effectively with some marginalized communities,” she said. “There’s also the barriers of lack of trust due to historical abuses.”
Although National Healthcare Decisions Day comes only once a year, Simone said she feels people should be having end-of-life conversations year-round. She said having these conversations as early as possible creates extensive long-term benefits.
“Ultimately, I think it only benefits us to take autonomy over our end-of-life decisions, how we want our bodies treated after we die, and our disposition method,” she said. “And I think people don’t understand once you have the conversation, the conversation is done unless you want to change something.”
Edwin is a reporter and producer in North Tonawanda, New York. He’s previously reported for the Niagara Gazette and the Ithaca Times. Edwin got an early start in radio interning for WBFO-88.7FM, NPR’s Buffalo affiliate. In 2018, he graduated from SUNY Buffalo State College with a B.A. in Journalism, and in 2022, graduated from Syracuse University with an M.S. in Communications.