Pandemic pushes health and will planning for all ages to the forefront in Sask.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it piquedinterest in health and will planning.Experts say prior to the pandemic, people often had not made any legal plans in case of a health crisis or death.

As of Tuesday, 793people have died from COVID-19 in Saskatchewan. And young people have recently been among the infected and hospitalized.

"It's really awakened in people the desire to get your affairs in order regardless of your age and regardless of your circumstances," saidAmanda Doucette, a tax lawyer in Saskatoon.

"So I'm seeing younger and younger people come to meto address their estate planning. And I'm seeing people come to me before there's an emergency."

Thirty-four-year-old Justin Thorpeand his common-law partner DenisChicoineare just a few of the young people in Saskatchewanwho have recentlyset up advancecare directives, medical proxies, wills and legal power of attorneys.

Thorpe, a Regina resident, saidthe conversation to get an advance care plan started a few years ago after two of the couple'sfriends passed away within a year.

"Itwas difficult in those times in thattheir wishes weren't known. It was left to family to kind of figure things out after the fact ...and I don't believe that things were representedas well as they could be," Thorpe said.

The pandemic is reinforcing how crucial advance care planning is to do before a medical crisis

3 years ago

Duration 4:40

Experts say that too often people haven't made any legal plans for a health crisis or death. But, the pandemic is changing that. And, some say having those tough conversations is comforting

Thorpe said that if he got sick or passed unexpectedly, he does not want to burden his partner or family.

"So we decided after those events that we would take the steps and get a plan in writing for ourselves so that we'd never be without one."

Thorpe said it was a simple process and not as awkward as some might expect.

"Much like anything in a good relationship, it's talking about what you want and what you feel is important ... but being frank and open about it."

Be prepared for the worst, even if it's a hard conversation

Thorpe hasworked in emergency medicine for many years and is now working as a registered nurse.

"One thing that I've seen over and over again is you can't plan for this stuff. It's never something that's kind of on the horizon. It always kind of just presents itself. And if you have a plan in place, you're all better off," Thorpe said.

Now, Thorpe saidhe knows exactly what his partner wants in case of a medical emergency, and vice-versa. He saidit's reduced stress, and if something were to happen, could bring some calm into those stressful situations.

"Talking about your own mortality is humbling. It'ssomething that is going to happen to all of us, and it's not something that we like to address on a daily basis," Thorpe said.

"But I know that the small details that I feel are important ... will be looked after."

As a member of the LGBT community, Thorpe saidit's extra important to have anadvance care plan.

"I would definitely say this is a very important conversation to have when you're in an extended relationship. There's lots of dynamics that, although you may be very close with your family, they may not be aware of," said Thorpe.

"I wouldn't expect my parents, even though I'm out to them and they're fully supportive of my relationship, to be able to understand the full intricacies ofall of our finances, all of ourhousing arrangements ... it just takes the guesswork of things."

The value of peace of mind

Brenda Schock, a senior health educatorfor the advance care planning program for the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA)saidshe had seen an increase in people talking aboutthat type ofplanning due to the pandemic.

"[It's been] predominantlyfor health care professionals where advance care planning didn't have a high presence before," said Schock.

Due to COVID-19 pressure, the SHA is currentlyin the process of expanding advance care planning programsin the province.

Shock saidthose as young as 16 can set up an advance care plan. That includes setting up a proxy a substitute medical decision makerfor whenyou're not able to communicate on our own.

Schock saidpeople should start planning as soon as possible, when they're young and healthy.

"These really should be part of life-long conversations ...because no one is really guaranteed to get home at the end of the day," said Schock.

"And just because we think our loved ones or our most trusted people will understand or know what we want, they might not know if we haven't really told them."

Schock saidit'simportant to have conversationsabout medical interventions likewhether you want CPR, ventilation,intubation, blood products or kidney dialysis in the case of an emergency.

"For example, CPR doesn't mean that we're going to get up the next morning and go to work if [you've] had chest compressions. It's realizing that that means that [you're] probably going to have bruised ribs, bruised or punctured lungs."

Following CPR, patients will be taken to an ICU and monitored. They also might have brain damage and take a long time to recover.

"It's talking about the quality versus the quantity of life that's really important to someone ... It's also considering the lifestyle that someone wants to live. And what's most important to them as an individual."

Schock saidthat people who are young often feel that they're infallible. But she urges parents to encouragetheir teenage or adult children to getmotivatedandfill out the documents.